A North Clare Councillor says the Government still needs to urgently step up its consultation and resourcing regarding the allocation of Asylum Seekers.
It comes as Cabinet is considering charging rent to working Asylum Seekers, while separately a safety review will be carried out at all IPAS centres nationwide, following a serious incident in Louth.
On Halloween night, five people, including four children and a baby had to be rescued from an International Protection Centre in Drogheda after a deliberate arson attack.
The incident has left 28 people homeless and has sparked the Junior Justice Minister Colm Brophy to order a safety review of all IPAS centres nationwide, 12 of which are in Clare and are housing 942 Asylum Seekers.
Over a third are being housed in North Clare and one Local representative says that while a review would be welcome, the state and Accommodation providers need to step up to ensure safety and improve community engagement.
Lisdoonvarna Fine Gael Councillor Joe Garrihy insists though that violent and aggressive incidents must be condemned.
Separately the Government is also progressing plans to cut the stay period for Ukrainian refugees in state accommodation from 90 to 30 days and to charge working asylum seekers rent for their accommodation.
Under EU law however, Asylum Seekers that would refuse to comply, can’t be evicted.
According to new figures meanwhile, the number of Ukrainian Refugees living in state accommodation in Clare has fallen by over 72% since last March to 914, with many now living on their own terms.
Clare Immigrant Support Centre Manager Simon Ó Treasaigh fears however that the new measures could be problematic.
You can listen to the full interview here:
