'Plummeting standards of accommodation' pose risk to people seeking refuge in Ireland

Irish Refugee Council 'extremely concerned' for welfare of vulnerable groups

Tents set up at the Gormanstown Army Camp in County Meath this summer, to provide Ukrainian refugees with temporary accommodation. PA

Deteriorating accommodation standards pose a “grievous risk” to women and children seeking refuge in Ireland, a report has warned.

The Irish Refugee Council said it was extremely concerned about the welfare of vulnerable people who are housed in areas not fit for purpose.

It said it had been alerted to “highly alarming” reports, involving child protection issues and serious allegations targeting vulnerable residents.

Nick Henderson, chief executive of the IRC, said there was concern about “plummeting standards in accommodation”.

“Recent months have seen a steady deterioration from direct provision, to emergency accommodation, to transit centres with people sleeping on floors and chairs, then the use of tents and ultimately no accommodation provided at all in September.

“We are receiving increasing numbers of grievous reports of risks to minors and the most vulnerable.”

The IRC report told of “a steady, downward trajectory” in the quality of accommodation over the past six months. Its authors made a series of recommendations to tackle the problem.

“If ‘temporary, emergency’ type of accommodation is going to be used, we insist that it is for the shortest time possible and that health and safety standards are maintained and prioritised and that, as our law requires, ‘basic needs’ are met,” the report said. Tents or sleeping on floors meet a protection applicant’s basic needs, it said.

The report said the “international protection system in Ireland has never functioned well for applicants” but acknowledged Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had put pressure on Ireland’s capacity to house asylum seekers and refugees.

The country has been praised for opening its doors to refugees, with one Ukrainian MP addressing the Irish Parliament in June to say they had been “overwhelmed” by the support of the Irish people.

There are 54,000 Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, according to figures released on Monday by the Central Statistics Office.

In August, the Irish government approached the country’s main sporting bodies to seek help in finding somewhere for the recent influx of refugees to stay.

The IRC said “successive governments’ failure to prioritise and adequately resource the international protection system has contributed to the enormous strain we are currently experiencing”.

“Current expenditure on emergency and hotel accommodation is very high with no long-term return or investment.”

Mr Henderson said the IRC’s recommendations would enable the situation to be managed more effectively.

“We urge the government to take a proactive and co-operative approach by upgrading and fully resourcing relevant public services, governmental departments and supporting agencies to ensure that we can meet the increased need," he said.

“We cannot focus all attention and resources on the immediate and most pressing crisis of new arrivals, without recognising that there is a dual, parallel need to plan for the medium-long term.

“By implementing the actions recommended here, the government can begin to move forward on their commitment to end direct provision, while increasing the states’ capacity to address emergency responses as they arise.

“Crucially, these recommendations also address the need for a plan to manage objectives and facilitate positive engagement, greater public awareness and understanding, and more effective support from civil society organisations working in this area.”