Town meeting over refugee influx

THE Department of Justice is to meet local authority members in Longford following claims the town is a dumping ground for refugees.

The Midlands Health Board will also be represented at a town council meeting to discuss a refugee influx.

An estimated 700 refugees are living in the town.

They include 64 asylum seekers placed in hostel or hotel-type accommodation by the department’s Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) at a cost of over €750,000.

However, hundreds of refugees are living in highly subsidised private-rented accommodation.

Dan Rooney, town clerk in Longford, which has a population of 7,000, said the meeting was arranged in advance of District Judge John Neilan’s statement about non-nationals.

During a case involving two non-national women accused of shoplifting, the judge warned shopping centres in his district court area would put a ban on “coloured people if this type of behaviour doesn’t stop”.

The judge later apologised for his remarks but Longford’s Mayor, Alan Mitchell, said the judge had highlighted a local problem.

Cllr Mitchell, a solicitor, said Co Longford had taken its fair share of non-nationals with the health board providing assistance to more than 700 people.

Town clerk Mr Rooney said a combination of new residential properties under an urban tax incentive scheme and the postponement of a proposed 1,300-job healthcare project led to a high availability of private rented accommodation.

“An abundance of private rented accommodation has made Longford an attractive location for refugees.

“Applications for housing in Longford came from refugees all over the country, including Cork. You have to ask, ‘why did they want to come to Longford?’ The influx has led to councillors expressing concern at recent monthly meetings,” he said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Flaherty said neighbouring counties are facilitating smaller numbers of refugees while Longford was becoming a dumping ground.

A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed that officials from the RIA will attend an exchange information meeting in Longford.

However, the department asserted the many thousands of people granted residency on various grounds, including study, work, or as a spouse of an EU national, are entitled to live in any part of the State.

The RIA, a spokesperson said, attempted to achieve a fair and balanced distribution of asylum seekers throughout the country and has particular regard, among other relevant factors, to the size of local communities when deciding on the number of asylum seekers to be placed in them.