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Government To Stop Using Town's 'Last Hotel' To House Asylum Seekers

Wednesday, 27 March 2024 07:10

The changes will be brought to Cabinet this morning.

Major changes could be on the way to Ireland's immigration policy.

It would mean a town's 'last hotel' wouldn't be used to house asylum seekers, after such an issue sparked a long-standing protest in Roscrea earlier this year.

The Government now wants to stop relying on private providers and move towards State own accommodation for refugees.

The long awaited plan will be brought to Cabinet this morning where the Justice Minister will also propose that Ireland opts into the EU asylum and migration pact.

If approved - it would mean Ireland would have to commit to enhanced screening checks and a legally binding time frame for making decisions on applicants.

Speaking on her way into Cabinet, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said this system would make the process quicker and safer:

Also on the cabinet agenda are plans to automatically enrol workers into a pension scheme and proposals to ensure student accommodation contracts are confined to the academic year only.

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