Ministers and Gardaí discuss issues around asylum-seeker housing
Youth With Roderic Simon O'gorman Marc Harris Met Picture: O'sullivan Minister And Cabinet Colleague Integration Gardaí Senior
Senior gardaí and Government ministers have met to discuss the ongoing issues around accommodation for asylum seekers.
Justice Minister Simon Harris and Integration Minister Youth Roderic O'Gorman last night met with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, Deputy Commissioner Anne Marie McMahon, and Dublin Metropolitan Region Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis.
The meeting came against the backdrop of ongoing protests in Co Clare about accommodating asylum seekers at a hotel, and just days after protestors set fire to a temporary camp in Dublin.
A spokesperson said that the ministers "thanked An Garda Síochána for their work in policing a number of incidents in recent weeks, and reassured the Commissioner of the Government's ongoing support for their work".
"The ministers and commissioner agreed that finding accommodation for currently unaccommodated international protection applicants is an absolute priority for the safety of the individuals involved," said the spokesperson.
"The ongoing liaison between An Garda Síochána and the Government on the provision of accommodation was discussed. The ministers and commissioner recommitted themselves to further develop on this, including at a local level.
"The commissioner told the ministers that a number of investigations are under way into recent incidents, and that these are live and active."
However, a Government TD hit out at gardaí, saying that they were "not intervening" in some cases.
Green Party TD Patrick Costello has written to the chairman of the Oireachtas Justice Committee requesting that the Garda Commissioner and senior gardaí answer questions on policing of protests.
Mr Costello said that the recent escalation in behaviour by those protesting against migrants is "absolutely unacceptable". He said that despite this, there "appears to be a reluctance to effectively police these protests" as well as "an inconsistency with how other protest groups have been handled in the past".
"The Commissioner and senior gardaí need to explain as to why gardaí are not intervening in escalating cases of intimidation and violence," he said.
“Nobody has a right to veto who gets to live in their community."