A leaflet drop took place in the East Wall area in Dublin last week to provide information to residents on the requirement for the use of a former ESB office block to house asylum seekers and to inform on the “State’s responsibilities”, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has said.
The Department said on Thursday “this process will be replicated as required”.
The statement comes after protesters in the area blocked the Port Tunnel for a second time on Wednesday night, calling for the local asylum seeker accommodation centre to be closed.
The East Wall Protest Committee said earlier this week they would continue to protest every Monday, Wednesday and Friday “until further notice or until the provision centre is closed down”.
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The group said the initial blocking of the Port Tunnel entrance on Monday was “just a small taste of what’s to come”.
“Protests will escalate nationwide if this Government does not close this centre in its entirety,” the East Wall Protest Committee said in a statement.
[ Dublin Port blockade will continue three nights a week, say protestersOpens in new window ]
The Department said before the opening of any facility it engages with local representatives to provide information “as soon as it is possible following the agreement of terms”.
“The emergency nature of the response required means that advance communications are not as comprehensive or as early as we would like. Every effort is made to notify public representatives and State agencies in advance of occupying a building,” a spokesman for the department said.
“The pressure to accommodate over 65,000 people since the start of the year has led to significant shortages particularly for those seeking international protection. The Department has been forced to avail of all offers of accommodation made, including the use of office buildings such as the building in East Wall, in order to address the accommodation shortfall.
“Due to the sheer scale of the present crisis this inevitably means buildings repurposed for the temporary, emergency accommodation of those seeking refuge must be occupied on a faster timeline than would otherwise be the case. These constraints limit the time window for advance consultation, however, the Minister and the Department are cognisant of these issues and working toward improving advance communications for elected representatives, local authorities and local communities in this regard.”
[ East Wall protests could be early warning as Coalition fears rise of far rightOpens in new window ]
Over 14,000 international protection (IP) applicants have arrived in Ireland over the last 12 months, according to the department. The average arrival figure for IP applicants between 2017 and 2019 was 3,500.
“A leaflet drop took place in the East Wall area last week to provide information to residents on the requirement for the use of the Two Gateway building and to inform on the State’s responsibilities regarding the accommodation of international protection applicants and the supports available to them,” the spokesman added.
“This process will be replicated as required. The Minister, the Government and the Department have been very clear in their communications on an almost daily basis regarding the pressures on accommodation currently being experienced and will continue to inform the public and the media on the emerging pressures and response.”
