A group of Laois County Councillors submitted two motions calling on the government to remover planning exemptions for IPAS centres.
The current rules around International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) allow for the rapid change of use of certain properties for accommodating international protection applicants without full planning permission.
This exemption has faced significant in recent times as Councillors across the country view it as a loophole that bypasses normal planning processes and they want it removed or phased out.
A motion to this effect was tabled by Fine Gael’s Conor Bergin, Vivienne Phelan, John King, Paddy Buggy and Barry Walsh.
While a second motion which also called on Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan to intervene, was tabled by Independent Aidan Mullins.
Fine Gael’s Conor Bergin spoke first on the motion and explained how this exemption was introduced in 2022 as a response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, before then being expanded in 2023.
He said: “The exemption was due to expire last December 2024 and was actually extended to 2028, and this motion is calling on the government now to remove this exemption immediately.
“The arguments that we’re making in favour of removing the exemption are that, from the point of view of democratic oversight, these exemptions have bypassed the normal planning process, that if a premises is to be converted to accommodation for international protection applicants tomorrow, this bypasses it.
“There’s no planning application, there’s no right for people to make reviews, it’s not public, it’s done immediately, overnight.
“Communities are often unaware of these developments until after the contracts are signed. It leads to mistrust and undermines, perhaps, faith in the planning system.
“It overrides local development plans sometimes as well, and local planning strategies that we adopt here in the chamber.
“So we as Councillors have been overridden by these planning exemptions. And this is from the point of view of the impact on communities that we’ve seen this throughout the county, furthers a sudden introduction of accommodation centre.
“It can put a strain on local services and infrastructure. No consultation with the community where these things are announced overnight.
“Everyone who makes a planning application should be subject to the same rules regardless whether it’s for international protection, if you’re running a house, a business.
“Regarding the second part of the motion is calling on the department to engage with communities before signing contracts. It’s out of trust building at the end of the day and having dialogue early on.
“Sometimes the absence of dialogue, if these things are just announced, that’s when misinformation gets out there, that’s when you have fear.
“Communities can offer insight on suitable locations and also involving residents into the process as well too, it makes integration more smoothly.”
Independent Aidan Mullins is from Portarlington and his area has lost three hotels to IPAS centres over the years.
He said: “There are towns in rural areas and villages across Ireland that have been forced to accommodate large numbers of asylum seekers. And they’re mostly young men which are being forced into small towns.
“And this leads to, with no consultation at all, as Conor said, and many of these towns are suffering from lack of services, whether it’s GP, dental services, school places, lack of housing, shortage of housing.
“And it is causing concern and division and it’s causing understandable anger in these communities, many of which also express safety concerns. So it’s damaging social cohesion in these towns and villages.
“The local authority then has no say in this process from the planning perspective and the local community don’t have the opportunity to make submissions, as Conor rightly said.
“So the community don’t have any feed-in for the process. And I don’t think this is democratic.
“I think it’s writing a rough shadow on the community. And it shows that the current immigration policies are a shambles.
“Now I do give credit to the Minister of Justice who is genuinely trying to change things at the moment and improve them.
“But, for instance, it is becoming a billion-euro industry now and they’re converting all types of buildings, not just hotels, into IPAS centres.
“In Portarlington, the only local hotel was used to house large numbers of asylum seekers before IPAS ended the contract.
“Our development plans are just cast aside, they mean nothing. This is discriminatory and must stop.
“Our own people and our communities must be prioritised and I think the planners then can play a role because the planners know it’s inappropriate for such a centre to be in such a small town or such an area.
“And what’s most gnawing now is we hear today there are going to be offering €10,000 to go home those that are not being allowed to stay.
“And Minister O’Callaghan himself is on the record as saying over 80% of them are fake, that they’re not genuine.
“Yet we’re putting them up in hotels and destroying the cohesion of local communities.”
Cllr Caroline Dwane-Stanley echoed the comments on the previous two speakers.
She said: “I think when we see in the last few days that the government minister in question is going to offer €10,000 for people to go home, I think that’s absolutely crazy.
“I mean, the whole thing is that we need a proper process in place that if people are not entitled to be here in the country, they should be sent back.
“But the problem with that is we’re not even checking that. We don’t even know where these people are.
“They’re coming into the country and they’re here for years before they’re actually sent out a letter to state that they were or they weren’t successful.
“And in the case of they weren’t successful, nobody knows where they are. We have so much of that going on.
“It’s absolutely crazy, and it has caused huge concerns amongst the community.
“The total lack of services that we have with schools, bursting at their seams, housing, it’s put huge pressure on.
“I want to see a proper process in place that these people are processed within the space of three months and that they’re sent back if they’re not entitled to be in the country.
“If they’re not allowed to be here, they should be sent home. It doesn’t matter. I’ve seen in recent times where families were asked to leave the country and we have to ‘do gooders’ looking to have them kept in the country because their children might need an education.
“If you’re not supposed to be here, you need to go home. You wouldn’t get away with that in any other country, and we really need to take a firm hand on that.”
Independent Aisling Moran concluded the debate by calling on the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael Councillors who were present to contact their TDs in order to bring about change.
She said: “I think Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Councillors right across the country need to discuss this with their party members and Oireachtas members, because it’s not going to happen unless we put pressure on them.
“Because us putting pressure on them is not really making any difference. If we put the pressure on, we’re just outvoted.
“So it’s up to you as councillors to make the stand and contact your leaders.”
A letter on behalf of Laois County Council is to be issued to the Minister.
