Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of Mount Street and the hundred tents removed this morning. As far as we know, the people there were sent to two unknown locations. There is a crisis with accommodation for international protection applicants in the city. It is the result of a decision by the Government not to house single men. The response seems to be that we will barricade the city street by street as people move. It is happening, essentially, because we do not have long- or medium-term accommodation for international protection applicants.

A number of reasons have been bandied around for this being the case. One is that the majority of applicants are coming in from the North because of the UK Government's Rwanda policy. The reality, however, is that this situation has been caused by an absence of medium-term thinking when it comes to housing refugees. We knew at the time of the Ukrainian crisis that it is very unusual for refugees to return to their home country because they often lay down roots in the country they move to. We need medium-term solutions, by which I mean having the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage involved in housing international protection applicants along with local authorities and engaging all the levers available to the State to ensure modular accommodation is available in the medium term.

We know we can do this and the setting up of Crooksling is an example of that. This ad hoc policy of barricading the city street by street is simply not working. It is adding to tensions and anti-immigrant sentiment. I ask that we have a debate on our refugee and response to international protection applicants.