Tipperary TD says Government has 'failed the people" with 'shambolic' refugee approach

This Government has failed the people of Roscrea, according to Tipperary TD Martin Browne

"Roscrea is a welcoming town, and this is evident through the immense welcome they have given to asylum seekers and refugees from a range of countries who are fleeing war and persecution," the Sinn Féin TD said in a statement.

But the government’s approach to what had been announced most recently, without engagement, without proper communication, and without the provision of services was, to say the least, shambolic, he said.

Deputy Browne said that when the Government was seeking to locate people who were going through the asylum process in communities across the country, those communities rightfully deserved to be engaged with.

"What communities expect is to be informed when something of this nature is planned. They should be given notice and they should be engaged with.

"The needs of the community and the services available within them should be examined, and where needed, addressed ahead of time. This includes issues like seeing the doctor or having a place in a school. They should be given all the information they need ahead of time," he said.

"Roscrea should have been afforded this level of respect. But they weren’t, and the Government need to be held to account for this because decisions are being made over and above the heads of communities without any proper planning," said Deputy Browne.

He said that all of this was the consequence of the Government’s historic failure to formulate a plan to accommodate the increasing number of people who were desperately in need of international protection.

"As a consequence of this failure to properly plan, the Government has become so desperate for accommodation centres, that they are now accepting offers without considering what the needs locally will be.

"This is despite there being a staggering number of vacant properties across the country which are lying vacant, which the government could have taken ownership of an made use of.

"But as a result of this failure to plan, it is now taking away the services of the only hotel in the town, without any engagement locally, or any cognizance of the consequences that will be felt locally.

"The Government was not upfront with the community, it failed to plan, and has therefore failed the people of Roscrea. The government and those representatives who support its failed policies need to be held to account.

"The Department and the government as a whole need to fully engage with local residents and community leaders. They need to carry out an audit of the level of services in the town of Roscrea, identify the resources that are needed, and provide accordingly," he said.

Deputy Browne said that he had made all this clear to the Department and had sought a full account of what they had done to address this, and what they intended to.

"Roscrea has lived up to the demands placed on the community to date. The government needs to live up to its responsibilities as well," he said.