Housing asylum seekers in student apartments not 'viable' – Higher Education Minister
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said although there is a real need to house asylum seekers, he has a responsibility to students. Picture: Maxwell's
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has pushed back on plans to use Cork student accommodation to house asylum seekers, saying it could "fix one problem but cause another".
The Department of Integration is considering buying a €57m student accommodation complex in Cork for use as a long-term reception centre for asylum seekers.
Mr Harris said although there is a real need to house asylum seekers, he has a responsibility to students.
“They're scouring the country looking for facilities and that's right and proper," he said. "But my position on this is really clear, we can't fix one problem but cause another.
"We need to have certainty and clarity if any student accommodation is to be used.
“Where are students who may be availing of that accommodation going to live?
“What would the rent be? The rentals need to be the same. Would [alternative] accommodation be ready?
"I just don't think it makes much sense. I don't believe, in general, it's viable,” he said.
Speaking on Friday night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it is not government policy to repurpose student accommodation for people seeking international protection but that it may be done in circumstances where the accommodation has been out of use for some time.
Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman is due to bring a memo to Cabinet within weeks outlining a plan to buy, lease, and acquire properties to house asylum seekers on a long-term basis.
The memo will not identify sites or buildings and will instead outline how the State will set about procuring properties, the scale required, and how to move away from an emergency response.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee will also outline how to get the message to the public that the State’s immigration system is rules-based, fair, and beneficial for Ireland for socio-economic reasons.
Mr Varadkar, meanwhile, has said that it is likely the government will opt to pay a financial contribution instead of accepting more migrants, under a new European Union pact on immigration.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Mr Varadkar said that Ireland has the option to provide financial resources as an alternative to accepting more migrants and that the Government will have to decide on the matter.
On supporting communities that have accepted large numbers of asylum seekers and refugees, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said it will be early February before he knows the cost of the financial package for 10 towns that are due to receive additional help.
He said it would be a substantial figure and the government wanted it to be “meaningful” and that it would make a difference to communities.
When asked how the Government can be confident that people who are burning down buildings earmarked for asylum seekers will be brought to justice, given there have been no arrests yet after 16 fires in the last year, Mr Donohoe said he sees the commitment of the gardaí and that it takes time for them to bring cases forward they can stand over.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
