Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The civic engagement team of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth held a meeting regarding the Thornton Hall site on 29 May as the Government had proposed its use as a refugee and asylum seeker accommodation centre. The national lead on civic engagement, Eibhlin Byrne, briefed me along with other Members of the Oireachtas from the north Dublin and east Meath region at this meeting in May. At the time of our meeting, the Garda was completely unaware of the proposed repurposing of Thornton Hall. We were given assurances that this disastrous plan would be operating by the end of June. It is now July and as we prepare to break for the summer recess, there is no clear plan in sight as to what will happen next. Thornton Hall has been designated as a site for a prison. Turning Thornton Hall into a tent city is a poorly planned emergency response to failed migration policy.

In March, a press release stated that the Government agreed a new comprehensive accommodation strategy for international protection, IP, applicants. The press release outlines that the Government's plan will see a move away from full reliance on private providers and towards a core of State-owned accommodation. Is that a coded way of saying we are going to put people in tents until we can think of something better? It says clearly in this press release that the use of State land for prefabricated and modular units is a distinct part of the plan. Thornton Hall has clearly been considered for modular or tented accommodation for months now. The public is still none the wiser.

Ms Byrne also added that approximately six sites across Ireland were also being considered for similar tent city arrangements. These proposals are horrific and inhumane. It is outrageous that our Government is behaving in a secretive manner with respect to its national plans. The Thornton Hall tent site is a terrible idea. If it is designed to be a blueprint for a national solution to a migrant crisis, it is an abysmal failure. Many people have raised very pertinent and valid concerns about water. In a recent interview with Gript media, Councillor Gillian Toole added that a strategic housing development was refused there due to the lack of water infrastructure. Thornton Hall is also on a flight path. There are serious concerns regarding sound pollution for any form of human habitation there.

We have heard time and again from the Government about international obligations and how communities have demonstrated great solidarity and welcome for those who come here seeking refuge. That is a very narrow view of the story in Ireland today. Towns have been destroyed. Hotels in small towns in Ireland are akin to town halls and so much more beyond that. This Government has no regard for the people of Ireland. It serves international pressures and forces instead of the electorate. I call on the Government, after the disastrous vote for the EU migration pact, to finally listen to the people of this country. The Irish people want sensible, reasonable border control. They want concrete plans and a functional visa programme, and sensible humanitarian policies. We are almost certainly heading to a general election in the autumn. I urge candidates to talk less about international obligations and more about national obligations.