Mattie McGrath: Condemns Dundrum IPAT Move After Ukrainians Bus Exit
Mattie McGrath raised concerns in the Dáil about the removal of Ukrainians from Dundrum and the conversion of local accommodation into an IPAT centre, calling the action an abuse of the community and a breach of guidelines. He said residents were loaded on a bus without knowing their destination and warned that placing hundreds of IPAT guests into a small village was unacceptable.
Mr McGrath said he received a video showing the last bus leaving Dundrum with the final Ukrainians and that those people did not know where they were being taken. He described the conversion of the facility into an IPAT centre as a shocking vista and an abuse of both the Ukrainians and the Dundrum community.
He highlighted numerical concerns - citing 277 IPAT people being placed into a village of 220 residents - and argued this ignored guidance that demographics should not be changed by more than 5% in a community. He called the move criminal and said it would leave lasting regret and apologies in the future for how communities were treated.
Mr McGrath alleged there had been only token engagement with local residents, naming Mrs O'Dwyer and Ms Crowe as people he said were not properly followed up with after meetings. He recalled an earlier statement that there should be a pause on hotels being taken over for IPAT centres and said that pause had been ignored.
A responding government speaker acknowledged meeting local residents, said he had passed their views to the relevant ministers and defended how relocations are typically handled. He reiterated government policy to move over time to state-led, state-owned facilities - including City West - and away from smaller community hotels, and said the relevant ministers would be asked to provide an update on Dundrum.
Allegations of forced relocation
Mr McGrath said he received a video showing the last bus leaving Dundrum with the final Ukrainians and that those people did not know where they were being taken. He described the conversion of the facility into an IPAT centre as a shocking vista and an abuse of both the Ukrainians and the Dundrum community.
Population and guideline concerns
He highlighted numerical concerns - citing 277 IPAT people being placed into a village of 220 residents - and argued this ignored guidance that demographics should not be changed by more than 5% in a community. He called the move criminal and said it would leave lasting regret and apologies in the future for how communities were treated.
Community engagement complaints
Mr McGrath alleged there had been only token engagement with local residents, naming Mrs O'Dwyer and Ms Crowe as people he said were not properly followed up with after meetings. He recalled an earlier statement that there should be a pause on hotels being taken over for IPAT centres and said that pause had been ignored.
Government response and stated policy
A responding government speaker acknowledged meeting local residents, said he had passed their views to the relevant ministers and defended how relocations are typically handled. He reiterated government policy to move over time to state-led, state-owned facilities - including City West - and away from smaller community hotels, and said the relevant ministers would be asked to provide an update on Dundrum.
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Transcript
The good people of Dundrum started protesting a peaceful, decent protest at the gates, 12 months today. I just got a video sent to me about half an hour ago of the last bus leaving with the last of the Ukrainians. We don't know where they are going, but they have been moved out to be replaced with IPAT. This is a shocking vista. It's an abuse of the community and the people of Dundrum, a grave abuse. The Ukrainians were working, they were integrated, and they were well looked after with the community. Now they've been loaded on the bus this morning, they don't even know where they're going, and it's now an IPAT centre. In spite of the fact you told me here some months ago that you wanted a pause on hotels being taken over for IPAT centres. And here we are. You met Mrs O'Dwyer, as I said, and Ms Crow, and you never come back to them. I mean, there was no proper community engagement ever, total token engagement. And to put 277 IPAT people into a village of 220 people is criminal. And it tears up your own guidelines that you can't change the demographics by 5%. So what are you trying to do to the people of Dundrum and Tipperary? There will be apologies in this house here in years to come about the way people have been treated, communities, and good honest people who don't want to make a living. They don't want to be in those days, 24-7, good people, they have enough to do. And this is the 12 months to the end of the day, and I'm making that this evening, and I think it's shameful to do it. Mr O'Dwyer. Thanks, Deputy McGrath, for raising this issue with me again in the Dáil. And as you rightly say, I did meet a number of the local residents, Mrs O'Dwyer, Mrs Crowe, and others, and they were very decent people. And I wouldn't say I didn't come back to them. I listened to them, and I engaged with them, and I passed on their views to the relevant ministers as well. The description of Ukrainian people being put on buses and not knowing where they're going is, in my experience, of how these issues are handled. We do need to obviously look at the number of Ukrainians in Ireland, state contracts, value for money. The fact that people are here quite a while, people wanting to get on with their life as well, and a lot of work is done to try and do that correctly. In relation to the decisions that the Department of Justice and Government will be taking around the location of bypass centres in general, it's well known that it's the government's policy to get to a number of state-led, state-owned facilities, including the one in City West that we have, and to move away over time from having to use smaller facilities in communities, particularly the ones that were used for the likes of hotels in the past. But I'll ask Minister O'Callaghan and our Minister Brophy to come back to you directly with an update in relation to Dundrum, conscious of what you're saying is happening in the community tonight.