Locate asylum seekers in ‘better off’ areas, says Sinn Fein

Accommodation for asylum seekers should be located in “better off” areas, the leader of Sinn Fein has said.

Mary Lou McDonald also said a site in north Dublin which has become a centre of violent disorder after it was earmarked as a refugee shelter should not have been chosen by Government.

Gardai have come under attack and fires have been set several times at the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock, after renovations were planned to allow for the accommodation of more than 500 international protection applicants.

Ms McDonald said the site would not have been chosen by a Sinn Fein government because the area cannot support it.

She said: “If you were starting from the start, would you place this centre in one of the most deprived communities in the State? No, you wouldn’t.

“Would you attempt to do that with no regard to that reality and no consultation with the community living there? No, you wouldn’t.”

However, given that a contract has already been signed, Ms McDonald said it is now imperative that dialogue with locals in Coolock happens “very urgently”.

She added that, while there is a dangerous criminal element “stirring the pot”, there are also concerns from locals about the level of resourcing in the area.

“We want Coolock to be a safe, calm place where people are listened to,” she said.

Sinn Fein recently determined that it needed to provide increased clarity on the party’s immigration policy platform, following worse-than-expected results in Ireland’s local and European elections.

It launched a new policy document on international protection on Tuesday, which it would said fix the “broken” system by only putting new centres in areas that have sufficient services.

The party raised concerns about locations where food banks are under pressure and GP lists are closed as it said a deprivation index by the State-sponsored agency Pobal could be used as a determining factor for locating new centres.

Ms McDonald said: “Obviously some areas – and you can objectively measure this – have better access to services, to infrastructure. They are better off.

“And it is our belief that it is a fairer ask that these centres be located in communities such as those.

“Let me add to this caveat: Our bigger ambition is that no community is left behind anymore and that we don’t have these black spots of deprivation and neglect.”

Ms McDonald, who accused the Government of being “flat-footed” and having “no real plan”, said accommodation centres have been placed arbitrarily.

She said Sinn Fein is putting forward a message of “common sense and fairness” by locating centres in less-deprived areas.

The party also outlined policies on “ending private profiteering” by moving towards more State-run accommodation and speeding up decision-making by tripling staffing at the International Protection Office and International Protection Appeals Tribunal.

In addition, Sinn Fein said there needs to be increased enforcement of deportation orders to ensure that those who are not eligible for international protection actually leave Ireland.

A core part of the new policy document is a consultation process for the communities in which centres will be located.

Ms McDonald said: “We are not talking about a veto. We are talking about respectful conversations with the community.”

The Sinn Fein leader said the Government has failed to consult communities and accused it of “aggravating the situation” by insisting that engagements have happened.

Asked whether she believes the expanded consultation process would speed up or slow down the opening of new centres, Ms McDonald said the overall approach put forward by Sinn Fein would be more efficient.

However, she was unable to provide a timeframe of how long communities would be given to object to proposals under the policy.

Asked if the updated policy document is an admission that the party had failed with its core base in recent elections, Ms McDonald said: “People need to know where we’re standing with clarity.

“This is an issue now that Irish society, Irish community and Irish politics have to deal with it.”

Ms McDonald rejected a characterisation of the new policy as a “dogwhistle” to the far right, adding: “We’re not chasing anyone.”

The Sinn Fein leader said she had been subjected to a threat against her life last week which she had to discuss with her children and her mother.

“The toxicity and the danger in this situation is real and we are very conscious of that.”