Representatives get personal over direct provision controversy

A WAR of words has broken out between TDs and councillors as the controversy over the Skellig Star Direct Provision Centre rumbles on.

After an online meeting took place between TDs and a director of the group operating the centre on behalf of the Department of Justice, Paul Collins, Fianna Fáil Councillor Norma Moriarty said she was annoyed that her request to take part was rejected, she claimed, by Michael Healy-Rae TD. She said that other local representatives and members of the community had also wished to take part, and this involvement was requested by some of the TDs.

“Our TDs, as good as they are, none of them are from Iveragh or living in Iveragh,” Cllr Moriarty told The Kerryman. She said they had hoped to pose specific questions relating to matters including deep cleaning at the hotel; if cleaning was done professionally; as well as queries relating to healthcare personnel and staffing ratios at the centre.

“Paul Collins contacted me and asked me would I contact the Kerry TDs. Norma never rang me, e-mailed me, asked me anything,” Deputy Healy-Rae claimed in response. “I didn’t set an agenda or decide who’d be there. In regard to other representatives from the area, I told people I was dealing with that this meeting was going ahead and that I’d explain afterwards what happened at the meeting.”

He added he would be putting questions to Minister Flanagan in the Dáil this week: “It’s fine for us to be getting assurances that such and such in place, but who is in charge of making sure those assurances are put in place?”

Fianna Fáil Cllr Michael Cahill also launched a stinging attack against Junior Minister Brendan Griffin (Fine Gael): “During the course of this Covid-19 pandemic, it has become obvious to me that a number of groups have been abandoned and forgotten by the present Government,” Cllr Cahill said in a statement. “Minister Griffin, you have allowed Kerry and Cahersiveen in particular, to be forgotten...We here in Kerry will not forget.”

Minister Griffin told The Kerryman that Cllr Cahill’s comments were “unfortunate”: “The people of Cahersiveen and the Direct Provision Centre know how hard I’ve been working on this case for the last month,” he said. “He should know well that it’s not within my remit to either open or close a Direct Provision Centre, so his comments are quite unhelpful and do nothing to address the issues that need to be addressed.”