*Scool in Corofin was among the “pinch-points” experienced in recent times. Photograph: John Mangan
INFORMATION DEFICITS are proving “detrimental to the success of the acceptance” of asylum seekers and refugees into communities across the county, a North Clare representative has said.
Officials in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth must “improve their line of communication with Oireachtas Members, Local Authority (Forum), and Councillors with regard to properties considered/chosen for use for International Protection within County Clare,” Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) stated in a motion put before Clare County Council.
Pinch points have been experienced in the county as a result of the absence of information, Cllr Killeen noted. “Integration is a huge part of policy to be prioritised for our county, however there is a lack of information for choosing the location for accommodation for Ukrainians and asylum seekers”.
He informed the meeting that he had unsuccessfully attempted to obtain information on the rumoured use of a five-bedroom property in Scool between Corofin and Dysart for housing asylum seekers. It emerged that that no contract had been issued by the Department but this correspondence came after a local man in his seventies was left with an eye injury from far-right protesters.
Cllr Killeen commented, “the vacuum of information is detrimental to the success to the acceptance of people into our communities”.
Work of the Director of Services for Ukrainian Services Development within the Council Jason Murphy has “helped the line of communication,” Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) maintained. “A piece of work can be done locally, there is a gap between information from management, agencies and the community frontline on the ground,” he said.
Recent public meetings held in Carrigaholt to discuss the potential use of Coláiste Uí Chomhraidhe for accommodating Ukrainians fleeing the war was referenced by Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF), “the main concern was what support could we give the people coming”. He continued, “It’s the vacuum that causes the problem, it allows people from outside the to agitate, the absence of information is the biggest threat, do you trust your community to be positive about something or are you afraid they will push back”.
That they share the same surname didn’t stop Cllr Pat O’Gorman for criticising Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman (GP). “It strikes me that Minister O’Gorman is trying to keep the information from the people until the last minute,” he commented.
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling said, “Our duty as a local authority is to protect the welfare and interests of all our citizens, that is what we have to do, communication is important but the narrative has to be around integration around whatever communities in Co Clare”.
Dowling added, “it is no longer a case of how we welcome or not welcome, it’s more how do we ensure effective and proper integration for those who continue to come and will come”. He said, “It is a lot more than communication, there must be wrap around services available, that is the space that the local authority is in and will continue to be in. We will need to prepare a very detailed integration plan for this county and all our citizens”.
