Disused military facilities should be used for modular housing for refugees, says TD

Dr Cathal Berry acknowledged that many of the old military facilities were “utterly unsuitable” to provide accommodation for women and children immediately. Picture: David Creedon

Former army ranger and Independent TD, Dr Cathal Berry, has called for disused military facilities to be used for modular housing for Ukrainian refugees, but only if there is community consultation.

Dr Berry said that planning should have commenced months ago and that the Department of Integration had not been established to deal with a crisis of this magnitude.

There were numerous former military facilities that were wired and plumbed that could be opened up to provide temporary accommodation, he said. But there had to be community consultation.

The lack of consultation and support packages were issues that needed to be urgently addressed.

Poor site selection for modular homes had also been a problem in Newbridge and Rathangan, added Dr Berry. There had been no community communication either, he said.

Local communities should be asked for suggestions and support. Instead “solutions were being rammed down people’s throats”.

Dr Berry also said that the National Emergency Coordination Centre should have been called in to assist at an earlier stage.

If the Government wanted support, then they should get “buy-in” from the community. He said that in every town in France there was a mayor who knew what was happening.

Dr Berry said that the National Emergency Coordination Centre should have been called in to assist at an earlier stage. Picture: Michael Donnell

“We don’t have that here, we have very weak local government, there is very little community government," he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

Dr Berry acknowledged that many of the old military facilities were “utterly unsuitable” to provide accommodation for women and children immediately.

However, there was space in the form of enclosed yards where modular housing could be placed.

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When asked about incoming refugees who had to sleep at Dublin Airport last weekend, Dr Berry said that it was not unusual for fleeing refugees to have to do that for a few nights, he had seen it happening on the Polish border.

This was a crisis situation and to do that for a few nights until the situation was regulated was understandable.