Proposed IPAS centre in rural Wexford village should be subject to environmental inspection – ‘there's no mains there, you're dealing with septic tanks'
'I asked the chief executive of Wexford County Council (WCC) to contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and inform them that the Danby Lodge will be the subject of an intensification case (if it becomes an IPAS centre),' said Cllr Carthy. 'Previous planning regulations would have stated that in the 29 rooms there would be an average of two people as a hotel, now if it becomes an IPAS centre we're moving to four people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
Debunked: Asylum seekers are not exempt from income tax for a year after they are allowed to work
WHILE SOME ASYLUM seekers are entitled to work in Ireland while waiting for a decision on their application, it is not true that they enjoy a 'tax-free year' while doing so. The claim, which was shared in a recruitment video for an anti-immigration group, appears to be a misunderstanding of a plan to charge working asylum seekers that are in accommodation provided through the International Protection Accommodation Scheme (IPAS). The claim was shared in a video featuring a man wearing a 'MÉGA'cap, which stands for Make Éire Great Again — a slogan used by some Irish fans of Donald Trump. Shouting at a crowd, he talks about migrants who want to 'impose their sharia law' and says Irish people now slaves. 'Jim O'Callaghan, not three months ago, came out on RTÉ — I only watch it to see what I'm catching him out on — but he came out and said some IPAS residents are currently employed. They may be asked to contribute to society in a year's time. Where's my tax-free year? I have to pay through the nose for everything.' The post containing the speech is a recruitment video for anti-immigration group Síol na hÉireann. It is unclear if the man in the video has a connection with Síol na hÉireann, which has previously been investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority for using footage of assaults in its recruitment material. The Journal has previously debunked posts by this group, including multiple false claims about black people attacking white people in Ireland. As of writing, one version of the video have been viewed more than 232,300 times on Facebook, and more than 22,000 times on X. Both were posted on 10 August. The claim made in the video is said to stem from an appearance by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on RTÉ. The Journal was unable to find an appearance matching the description, and a spokesperson from O'Callaghan's office said that they were unfamiliar with what the man in the video was speaking about. It seems likely that the video confuses O'Callaghan with Colm Brophy, who is a Minister of State at the Department of Justice. Advertisement Brophy has spoken publicly about plans to charge working asylum seekers for their accommodation. (O'Callaghan's office confirmed he supports the plan). However, these plans have little resemblance to what was being talked about in the video other than some shared terminology, such as uses of the term 'contribution'. The government's plans are not about changing how IPAS applicants are taxed. Rather, these plans involve charging asylum seekers who are entitled to work for accommodation in IPAS centres as a way to reduce the cost of the international protection system to the government. Currently, asylum seekers in Ireland can be granted permission to work if they have been waiting more than 6 months for the first decision on their application. The Sunday Independent reported that one proposal says that 11,400 people in IPAS centres are estimated to have an income and would be eligible to pay the fee. So, what has this got to do with a 'tax-free year'? Not much, it appears. 'Applicants for international protection are subject to the same system of taxation as all other people resident in Ireland,' a spokesperson for the Department of Justice told The Journal. 'There is no exemption from income tax for applicants under the International Protection Accommodation Scheme who have an entitlement to work in Ireland,' Revenue said in response to the online claims. Claims that asylum seekers or other foreign nationals have preferential treatment in Ireland are commonly spread by anti-immigration groups. Thai year, The Journal has previously debunked claims that immigrants get shorter prison sentences than Irish citizens; that traffic rules do not apply to non-Irish people; that the Irish government pays Ukrainians to repair their cars or has spent €200,000 per car to help isolated Ukrainians; and that taxes go toward subsidising foreign-owned businesses . Want to be your own fact-checker? Visit our brand-new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for guides and toolkits The Journal's FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles. You can read it here . For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader's Guide here . You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... It is vital that we surface facts from noise. Articles like this one brings you clarity, transparency and balance so you can make well-informed decisions. We set up FactCheck in 2016 to proactively expose false or misleading information, but to continue to deliver on this mission we need your support. Over 5,000 readers like you support us. If you can, please consider setting up a monthly payment or making a once-off donation to keep news free to everyone. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford's housing crisis ‘never going to end' as three-unit project continues to await funding approval
The lack of progress on a three-unit housing project in Wexford has led one local councillor to question whether the county's housing crisis is ever going to end. The project, which will see three social houses delivered for Adamstown, received approval in March of last year but has yet to progress further in that time. 'That site is sitting there for the last four years,' said Councillor Pat Barden at the July meeting of the New Ross Municipal District (NRMD). 'The preliminary design team has been appointed. It's no wonder there's a housing crisis in Wexford and all around the country. If central government is looking to Wexford County Council to build houses and we can't even do a simple little project in Adamstown then this housing crisis is never going to end. "It's an absolute disaster, something radical needs to be done.' Housing officer Martina Donohue said she would consult the council's construction team for further information but confirmed that a funding application was due to be submitted in Q3 of this year. The three units are to consist of a two-storey, three-bedroom semi-detached dwelling, a two-bedroom apartment, and a one-bedroom apartment. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Post
6 days ago
- Irish Post
Asylum seekers who get DEA from the government increased by thousands last year
IRELAND'S asylum system is under increasing pressure as the number of people receiving daily allowance payments continues to rise. According to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), over 18,500 people sought asylum in Ireland in 2024. This surge is reflected in the sharp rise in the number of recipients of the Daily Expense Allowance (DEA), with 7,000 more people receiving the payment compared to 2023. The DEA is a payment made each week consisting of €38.80 for adults and €29.80 for children, aimed at helping those living in Direct Provision or International Protection Accommodation Services to pay for living costs. However, people who have received permission to work or have enough income do not qualify for the payment. Demographically, the profile of those receiving the DEA shows that 48% were aged between 25 and 44, with almost a quarter of recipients in 2024 under the age of 15. A gender imbalance persists, with men making up nearly two-thirds of recipients each year from 2022 to 2024. The CSO notes that in the last decade, the percentage of women benefiting from the allowance remained consistently lower than that of men. New beneficiaries in 2024 came primarily from Nigeria, Jordan, Somalia, and Pakistan, while in previous years, Algeria and Georgia each had over 1,000 people receiving support. As of the most recent IPAS figures, Nigeria tops the list of countries with the most people in accommodation, followed by Georgia, Algeria, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Africa. The financial cost of accommodating asylum seekers has risen dramatically. In 2024, for the first time, annual state expenditure on International Protection accommodation exceeded €1 billion, marking a 54% increase from the €651 million spent in 2023. Minister for Integration Norma Foley confirmed that the average daily cost per asylum seeker reached €84 in 2024, up from €76.80 the previous year. She explained that costs fluctuate depending on the type and availability of accommodation, as well as the number of residents. Since the start of 2019, Ireland has spent €2.5 billion on housing those seeking protection, with much of that cost concentrated in recent years. In 2021, IPAS was accommodating just over 7,000 individuals. Today, it houses almost 33,000, including approximately 9,000 children with their families. Despite the growing strain on the system, there are signs of successful integration into the workforce. The CSO found that 77% of those who received the DEA for the first time in 2022 had engaged in employment by 2024. This improvement coincided with the reduction of the mandatory waiting period to access the labour market, which was shortened from nine months to six in 2021. Still, a gender gap in employment activity remains. More than 75% of men had employment activity in 2021, 2022, and 2023, while the figure for women ranged from 53% to 65% during the same period. The CSO highlighted a noticeable time lag between DEA receipt and entry into the labour market. Alongside the state's support for international protection applicants, Ireland also manages a separate programme for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, primarily aimed at housing Ukrainians. Since 2022, €239 million has been paid to accommodation providers for housing nearly 50,000 individuals under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) provides €800 per month to hosts, with over 15,500 hosts currently housing almost 36,000 people in more than 19,000 accommodations across the country. Dublin, Cork, Donegal, Mayo, and Galway have the highest numbers of ARP recipients. Plans are underway to develop more state-owned or publicly managed facilities in an effort to reduce this dependency. Although the number of new asylum seekers in 2025 has decreased by around 40% compared to 2024, the long-term demand on Ireland's public services and integration infrastructure remains a concern. See More: Asylum Seeker, DEA, Immigration
