Calls for Tipperary taskforce around lack of services in Dundrum amid IPAS controversy

Extra services are needed for a Tipperary village after a contract to house over 270 International Protection Applicants (IPAs) was approved for a local hotel.

Dundrum House Hotel in the village of Dundrum has had a contract approved to house 277 IPAs in the county Tipperary village, a decision which has caused considerable upset in the local community.

At the April meeting of the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel Municipal District, independent councillor Liam Browne called for more services to be provided for the small village to support locals and new people moving into the area.

Cllr Browne also wants the district to send a delegation to meet with Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, to discuss the awarding of the contract to Dundrum House, with a view to creating a taskforce to discuss the services available and required to support the rapid population growth in the village.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Browne said that there is a lack of services in the village, and these need to be prioritised.

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“The reason why we’re having the discussion over the past year has been the lack of services in the area, and the lack of services in Dundrum mirrors a lot of other places around the country that have a significant number of International Protection Applicants moving into the area that doesn’t have the services.

“We’re now aware that Dundrum doesn’t have services. I think that we cannot consider putting extra people into the Dundrum area until that has been addressed in the first place, and I think the best place to do that is at Government level,” Cllr Browne told the meeting.

Fianna Fáil councillor Roger Kennedy backed calls for the district to write to Minister Foley, and also asked that they write to Minister Jim O'Callaghan, as the responsibility for the IPAS system moves from the Department of Integration to the Department of Justice.

Cllr Kennedy said that the awarding of the contract to a company that has only been in operation for three months is worrying, and that more scrutiny is needed.

“There was huge shock in the area when the most recent contract was announced with Utmasta, which is a company formed in Spain, less than three months ago, with no track record, €120 of capital.

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“We’ve been discussing roads, we’ve been discussing footpaths, we’ve been discussing everything, if we were to award a contract I’m sure the first people to come down on us like a ton of bricks would be the Department to say that the person ye’ve awarded the contract to is totally inexperienced, uncapitalised, with no record of delivery, with no history, basically with nothing, how is a multimillion euro project being awarded to somebody like that?” Cllr Kennedy asked.

Arising out of the discussion the municipal district agreed to write to both Ministers Foley and O'Callaghan to arrange a meeting to discuss the issues around the awarding of the contract to Utmasta and Dundrum House Hotel.