Department plans to accommodate ‘families and children’ at Ballinrobe hotel

The Department of Integration said it intends to accommodate families including children into a former hotel in Co Mayo which has been at the centre of a local protest after initially being earmarked for use for male asylum seekers.

The Department said its contract to provide temporary shelter to international protection (IP) applicants at JJ Gannon’s Hotel in Ballinrobe is proceeding.

It is intended that up to 50 people in need of shelter will be accommodated at the premises.

A briefing document on the initial plans details was issued to local TDs, senators and councillors last Thursday.

On Friday, a protest against the plan formed outside the hotel and continued through the weekend.

In a statement on Monday, the Department said: “While initially earmarked for adult males, there is now an acute shortage of accommodation for families and children and it is now intended to place families into this property over the coming days.”

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue denied that the change was made in response to the protest and said “no one has a right to veto who lives in an area”.

“I believe that there has been a number of resignations recently, given the capacity constraints, and particularly in relation to the prioritisation needed for families and children, and particular challenges there, that a number have been have been redesignated,” he said.

He said the 50 males who were due to be housed in the hotel are now part of the 457 IP applicants who are without an accommodation offer.

“It’s something we continue to work on, it’s something we continue to manage as best we possibly can. But there’s no doubt I mean, the fact that we have 457 at the moment who remain without accommodation is a real challenge,” he told RTE’s Drivetime.

The Department said emergency centres like the proposed site in Ballinrobe have been opened in all parts of the country.

There have been more than 190 accommodation locations utilised since January 2022 across 26 counties.

Throughout the past year, there have been several protests and arson attacks on buildings proposed as accommodation for IP applicants.

A spokesman said: “These options must be considered to prevent homelessness for people arriving seeking international protection.

“The situation in relation to accommodation for international protection applicants remains extremely challenging, and the Department does not have enough accommodation to offer to many newly arrived IP applicants at present.”