Taoiseach says Mount Street situation won't be repeated at Grand Canal as number of tents increases
Taoiseach Simon Harris has said that the situation with tents at the Grand Canal will not be allowed to develop the way it was on Mount Street.
When it was put to him that it was likely there could be 100 tents at the Grand Canal with asylum seekers by the end of the week, Mr Harris said that he was “confident progress will be made in relation to this”.
Just under 300 asylum seekers who had set up tents outside the International Protection Office (IPO) on Mount Street were moved to accommodation in Crooksling and Citywest last Wednesday. However, there are currently 1,710 asylum seekers without accommodation.
Over recent days, asylum seekers have set up dozens of tents along the Grand Canal. On his way into Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, it was put to the Taoiseach that there could be 100 tents on the canal by the end of the week. However, he indicated that this would not be the case.
Mr Harris said: “I’m very confident progress will be made in relation to this, both in terms of sites for people to safely sleep, safely live and safely access sanitation facilities.
“We do need to be very honest when it comes to migration. I’ve said this many times, the conversation about migration policy cannot just be a conversation about accommodation supply.
“We have to look at all the various policy levers at our disposal in terms of how we have a sustainable migration system in Ireland.”
Mr Harris said that the ongoing multi-agency approach that was implemented to remove people from Mount Street was continuing and that the situation that developed outside the IPO cannot be allowed to develop elsewhere.
Scenes from a multi-agency operation to remove asylum seekers from outside the International Protection Office on Mount Street in Dublin last week
“What we saw in relation to Mount Street was utterly unacceptable,” Mr Harris continued.
“It was getting very near a public health emergency in terms of the wellbeing of very vulnerable people. It wasn’t enough, in my view as Taoiseach, that there was a siloed approach in relation to that. ‘That’s somebody else’s responsibility.’ That can’t be tolerated.
“I’m pleased with what happened in Mount Street last week as it saw 290 people taken off the streets and provided with better accommodation and access to sanitation.
“Let me be very clear, what’s happening in other parts of the city isn’t comparable. What happened in Mount Street was allowed to go on for weeks and weeks, months and months, in fact. This will not be the situation in relation to the Grand Canal. Yes, from time to time situations will emerge because it’s a very, very difficult and challenging situation.
“But we won’t again, stand for a situation in relation to Mount Street. We won’t from a humanitarian point of view, in relation to the people who are coming here and seeking support.”
He added: “I’m planning on standing by my very clear commitment in relation to not wanting to see another Mount Street situation develop. There is absolutely work going on, not just a daily but an hourly basis in terms of trying to find accommodation solutions.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin, meanwhile, said that people living in tents is “not acceptable” as it is “dangerous” for the people living in them. He also said that it is not acceptable for those living in the area where the tents have been set up.
“In terms of accommodation, we’re going to secure further accommodation,” he stated.
“Be in no doubt, in my view, the approach of just pitching tents either on the canal or on the street is nowhere safe or suitable at all.”
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