Plans to reclassify ‘safe’ nations list to curb asylum inf lux
Justice Minister’s proposal to slow immigration
THE Minister for Justice is proposing to expand the number of ‘safe’ countries as part of a suite of measures aimed at reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving here.
That was just one of a number of proposals discussed by senior ministers at the sub-Cabinet committee last night.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that while it was initially established to deal with issues relating to Ukraine, it has become more akin to a ‘migration’ committee.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee told her ministerial colleagues that since Georgia was declared a ‘safe’ country by the State, the levels of asylum seekers arriving from there has halved.
Other ‘safe’ countries include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and South Africa. A safe country of origin is defined as one where no risk of persecution, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is perceived. Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman told the meeting the numbers of refugees arriving from Ukraine has dropped significantly since the start of the year, from around 600-700 per week to 150. Those fleeing the war in Ukraine are granted special refugee status and do not need to apply through the international protection system. The reduction is being attributed to the Cabinet’s decision to cut social welfare entitlements from €220 per week to €38.80. While the cuts have not yet been introduced, the legislation underpinning them is making its way through the Oireachtas.
Mr O’Gorman’s department is also formulating a revised accommodation strategy that could end the use of hotels and B&Bs to house arrivals.
The minister has been trying to move away from the reliance on such accommodation for several months in a bid to help the tourism industry, which has suffered from the fall-off in trading as a result of reduced bed capacity in tourist hotspots.
Under the new changes impacting Ukrainians, new arrivals will only be provided with accommodation for 90 days before having to source their own accommodation.
It comes after the Taoiseach told a private meeting of his parliamentary party on Tuesday night that nursing homes, student accommodation and other amenities should not be repurposed for asylum seeker accommodation.
More than 3,200 people who arrived through Irish airports last year were not able to provide valid documentation.
The Government imposes penalties of €1,500 on airlines where passengers were found not to have their required documentation when they exit their flight.
On-board spot checks of passengers before they exit the plane have also been conducted, but there is a sense among ministers that this does not go far enough.
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien suggested increasing the penalties by double or triple the current rate on airlines in a bid to increase compliance.
Minister for Education Norma Foley told the meeting there was a need to increase capital spending on education to deal with the increased stress levels placed on the system due to the high number of child refugees and asylum seekers.
A new €50million community fund will be established to support the ten most affected districts in the country after the recent surge in immigration.
‘Does not go far enough’