No extra funds for O’Gorman to build new refugee centres

THERE will be no additional funding provided to the Department of Integration to build new State-run reception centres for asylum seekers, the Finance Minister has said.

Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman is expected to bring a memo to the Cabinet next week setting out that the State will purchase or develop six new reception centres to deal with the influx of asylum seekers and Ukrainians. Asked yesterday whether the State would bail out the Department of Integration if necessary, Finance Minister Michael McGrath said: ‘We have made a provision within the budget for Mr O’Gorman’s department and it will be in relation to accommodation for Ukrainians and also for international protection applicants.

‘So it is part of our budgetary framework, as is every taxation and expenditure decision that we make.’ Asked if there would be a need for a supplementary budget to help fund the purchase of these sites, Mr McGrath said: ‘We are in the month of January and I don’t anticipate getting supplementary estimates at this point of the year. We just have to see how that develops.’

A review of the Department of Integration’s budget shows the programme that looks after international protection seekers received almost an additional €1billion in current expenditure funding, up from €981million in 2023 to €1.85billion in 2024.

It comes as a protest march is to take place this Saturday over the housing of asylum seekers in a former Capuchin friary and St Brigid’s maternity hospital in Carlow. Despite protests at both premises, 14 people moved into the friary earlier this month under Garda escort.

A spokesperson for Carlow Says No said: ‘To date, Carlow Says No has maintained an extremely high standard of orderliness and discipline. This is thanks largely to the quality of the people who have attended and maintained the protest.’