Gormanston camp to begin housing refugees from Monday

The step to open the facility was taken after it was reported that new arrivals to Ireland fleeing war in Ukraine and asylum seekers from other countries were sleeping on mattresses in the old terminal building in Dublin Airport. Picture: RollingNews.ie

The Government will begin to use Gormanston Camp after the State's accommodation hit capacity this week.

Gormanston will open on Monday and initially, 150-200 Ukrainian refugees will be accommodated at the camp, the Taoiseach has said.

The move to open the facility was taken after it was reported that new arrivals to Ireland fleeing war in Ukraine and asylum seekers from other countries were sleeping on mattresses in the old terminal building in Dublin Airport.

Around 250 people stayed in the old terminal building on Wednesday night - of those about 150 were women and children fleeing their homes because of the war in Ukraine.

The Government said on Thursday that the intention is that time spent at this location would be kept to a minimum and the most vulnerable among them would be prioritised for transfer.

It said over 160 people had been transferred out of the airport over the course of the day.

In addition, a second transit hub is to be established to relieve pressure at the Citywest Transit Hub following the "unprecedented" number of arrivals.

The convention centre in Citywest, which opened as a processing centre for Ukrainians and asylum seekers in March, is currently operating well beyond capacity, with dozens of arrivals sleeping on chairs.

According to the latest figures from the Government, over 40,000 people have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine with 30,600 being accommodated by the State and members of the public.

In addition to those from Ukraine, a further 7,080 people seeking International Protection (IP) have arrived in the country up to July 13. In all of 2021, there were 2,648 IP arrivals.

The convention centre in Citywest, which opened as a processing centre for Ukrainians and asylum seekers in March, is currently operating well beyond capacity. Picture: Moya Nolan

Currently, there are 13,917 IP applicants being accommodated by the State - up by around 6,900 from this time last year.

The Government said it remains resolute in its commitment to helping those who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine and is continuing to work on medium- to long-term options including modular housing and refurbishing existing buildings.

Tom McEnaney, co-ordinator of Evacuation Flights for Ukrainians, has accused the government of incompetence over the issue.

"This is not an accommodation problem, it is not a shortage of accommodation," he said. "It is an administrative problem. It is a logistical problem.

"The State has been sitting on several thousand units of pledged accommodation, Irish people who want to help, who are desperate to help and who have space in their homes and have invited Ukrainians in."

The Irish Red Cross (IRC) is still accepting pledges from homeowners who want to offer a room or property to Ukrainian refugees but those offering a bed are being warned that it is a long process.

The IRC has accommodated over 2,500 people in rooms and properties pledged by homeowners.