State to purchase Citywest hotel for €148m and use it as asylum seeker accommodation
The State is to purchase the
Citywest Hotel
in Dublin for more than €148 million with the intention of making it a permanent processing centre for
International Protection
applicants.
Minister for Justice
Jim O'Callaghan
said he received approval at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting for the move, which forms part of a plan to provide 14,000 State-owned beds for asylum seekers by 2028 rather than relying on private providers.
The 764-bed hotel and conference centre has been leased by the State since 2020. It was initially used as a Covid-19 testing and vaccination centre before, in 2022, being converted to an accommodation and processing facility for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees.
The State has agreed to purchase the hotel and its conference centre for €148.2 million, a price Mr O'Callaghan said represents value for money for the State.
READ MORE
'Over a period of four years, we believe we'll be in the position where we will have got our money back in terms of the investment,' he said.
Over 25 years, the State will save about €1.25 billion, he added. 'It will be far cheaper in the long-term.'
Minister of State for migration
Colm Brophy
TD insisted there were no plans to expand the capacity of the hotel to handle the growing number of asylum seekers entering the State. It currently has capacity for 2,300 people.
The Government said it is in talks to ensure the attached leisure centre, which has 3,000 members, remains open to the local community.
Many locals have reacted angrily to the Government's plans to purchase the hotel. Earlier this month, protesters gathered outside Leinster House to demonstrate against the plans which they said will mean the hotel never returns to community use.
'Very importantly, the purchase of Citywest will not result in any immediate increase in numbers,' said Mr Brophy in Tuesday.
He said the plan is to 'develop the asset' into a state-of-the-art processing facility 'whereby people's applications can be cleared within 13 weeks from when they arrive in the country'.
He promised 'full engagement' with the community to ensure they are aware of what is happening to the hotel. There has been 'excellent engagement' with the community to date, and this will continue, he added.
'Our community engagement team is ready to begin working closely with local community leaders, community groups and stakeholders.'
Separately, it has emerged the company which runs the hotel received more than €18 million from the State in the first three months of the year to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees from Ukraine.
Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited, a key provider in the State's international protection accommodation system, also received more than €70 million last year.
Figures on payments made through Department of Integration payment orders for more than €20,000 in the first three months of the year show the company received in excess of €18.5 million from the State.
Mosney Holidays, which provides accommodation for between 500-600 international protection applicants and refugees supported by the Irish Refugee Protection Programme at a former holiday resort in Co Meath, received about €10 million from the State in the first three months of the year.
Traveloldge, the hotel group (Smorgs ROI Management Limited), received about €8 million. Holiday Inn Dublin Airport (Skyline View Limited) also received more €8 million in the first quarter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
29 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘A roof over your head is seen as a luxury': Hundreds attend housing protest outside Dáil
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Dáil this evening as part of a demonstration urging the Government to take 'urgent action' to address the housing crisis . Sínead Scully and Luke Murphy attended the Raise the Roof protest as they feel locked out of the housing market. Nearing their 30s, the couple moved in with Mr Murphy's parents after two and half years renting in order to save for a mortgage deposit. With a master's degree and a PhD between them, Mr Murphy said they have another year or two of 'hard saving' before they can move out. 'We're both in very secure jobs and we're in a position to save but we're still not able to afford property in Dublin,' Ms Scully said. READ MORE They don't believe the Government is advocating on their behalf. 'I think they think they're doing a good job, but clearly they aren't,' Ms Scully said, adding that programmes such as the Help To Buy scheme don't have the intended effect when property prices are so high. 'I think it's years and years of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments … applying bandaid solutions to long term problems," Mr Murphy said. Protestors at The Raise the Roof rally outside Leinster House. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times Mother and son Ger Nolan and Evan Sheridan have always regarded housing as a pressing issue for the younger generation. 'It wasn't a worry I had at 16 or 18, but that's the reality nowadays,' Ms Nolan said. 'Housing is where everything stems from. You need people to run services in the country and if they can't afford to pay rent in Dublin, the city doesn't function any more,' she added. Mr Sheridan said 'housing is a basic human right, it's crazy how something as basic as a roof over your head is either too expensive or is seen as a luxury, and for many young people is a luxury'. He believes the Government is making housing out 'to be a lot more complicated than it actually is', citing the €14 billion windfall tax from Apple last year as a reason why 'funding is not an issue'. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times Bernard Joyce, a representative of the Irish Traveller Movement, said 'it's really important that we're all here together today'. Mr Joye said Irish Traveller women and children are disproportionately homeless, and called for 'culturally appropriate accommodation which meets their community's needs'. Among the speakers were Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Rory Hearne of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit's Paul Murphy. There was a considerable presence of their supporters at the demonstration. The speakers often emphasised what they see as the interconnected nature of social issues such as the housing crisis, economic inequality, and discrimination against migrants. The demonstration was organised by Raise the Roof, a broad coalition of trade unions, advocacy groups, NGOs, political parties and homelessness agencies. It coincided with a Bill in the Dáil tabled by Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity and the Green Party, as well as some left-wing independent TDs. The Bill seeks to implement freezes and caps on rent prices, reintroduce a ban on no-fault evictions, and increase taxes on vacant and/or derelict properties and funding for homelessness agencies.
Irish Examiner
31 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Homes turned into ‘financial assets', hundreds of housing protesters told
Homes have been turned into financial assets and young renters into an income stream, hundreds of housing protesters in Dublin were told. People gathered outside Leinster House on Tuesday for a 'Raise the Roof' rally, where five opposition TDs addressed the crowd. It comes after the Government announced rent reform plans that the opposition has criticised as they will increase rent costs. People gather outside Leinster House, Dublin, during a Raise the Roof protest (Niall Carson/PA) The Government has said its plans will provide new protections for renters and also attract private investment in housing, which will boost supply and moderate housing costs. At the rally on Tuesday evening, opposition politicians criticised the Government's 'terrible' housing plan and urged people to take to the streets to protest against it. Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne said that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had turned homes 'into a financial asset'. 'Our younger generations have been turned by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael into an asset class of institutional investors who see them as an income stream that will pay their wages, their incomes, their wealth, into the future.' In what drew applause from the crowd, Mr Hearne added: 'The Government talks a lot about blockages to housing and barriers to housing. The biggest barrier and blockage to housing in this country is behind us, and it's called Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.' Musicians, including Lisa O'Neil, also performed at the demonstration, which could be heard from within the halls of Leinster House. Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne addresses the crowd outside Leinster House in Dublin during a Raise the Roof protest (Niall Carson/PA) Many party political flags were visible at the protest, and there were some handmade signs with slogans such as 'rent is too damn high' and 'dereliction is a social crime'. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that the Government's instincts on housing were 'wrong' and so unions, civil society groups, and opposition parties had to 'step up to the mark'. 'All of us need to stand up, but so do you. We need you to back us now, because this Government must be faced down. 'Our renters cannot be, again, put to the pin of their collar and screwed because the Government wants to lick the boots of cuckoo and vulture and big investment funds. 'Our message today to Micheál Martin and Simon Harris is: lads, the game is up. The people are at the gate.' Labour leader Ivana Bacik accused the Government of U-turns and 'terrible' housing policies. Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald addresses the crowd outside Leinster House in Dublin during a Raise the Roof protest (Niall Carson/PA) 'They propose to expand Rent Pressure Zones across the country, but they're hollowing them out. 'Instead of delivering lower rents and greater security for tenants, what we're seeing instead is renters pitched into fear and uncertainty.' She said that Mr Martin and Fianna Fáil 'laugh' at Labour's call for a state construction company. 'Well, they should learn their history, because the last time we built social and affordable homes at scale in this country, it was done through a Fianna Fáil national building agency, an agency that had state backing and that could deliver at the scale that's needed.' People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who recently flew back to Ireland after being detained in Egypt as he tried to travel to Gaza, said that rising rents had become government policy. 'We cannot wait 'til the next election. We cannot wait for over 20,000 people to be homeless, and that's where we'll be by the next election if things keep going. 'We can't wait for average rent in Dublin to go well beyond 3,000 euros a month. We can't wait while house prices continue to rise at a record rate. We have to stop them now with protests like this.' People gather outside Leinster House, Dublin, during a Raise the Roof protest (Niall Carson/PA) Mr Murphy encouraged thousands of people to join a Community Action Tenants Union (Catu) protest in Dublin on Saturday, July 5, and said there should be a 'massive' protest in the run-up to the Budget in the autumn. The protest was held to coincide with a motion in the Dail on housing and homelessness, which calls for the introduction of a no-fault eviction ban and greater use of compulsory purchase orders to 'bring empty homes back into use'. Speaking in the Dáil after attending the protest, Sinn Féin TD Eoin O Broin said 'several thousand people' had gathered outside. The Housing Minister James Browne, when moving to amend the motion, said that the opposition was good at 'personalising' the debate but had offered 'no solutions'. Read More Government to buy Citywest Hotel for €148.2m
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Social Democrats ask EU anti-fraud watchdog to probe failure to inspect Shannon flights
The Social Democrats have called on the EU's anti-fraud watchdog to investigate the failure to inspect flights at Shannon Airport. In a letter to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Gary Gannon TD said Ireland's refusal to inspect private or military aircraft landing at Shannon may be "systematically undermining" EU customs and Vat obligations. The director general at OLAF was told the lack of inspection opens the door to potential abuse by private operators trying to avoid Vat by routing through Ireland. Mr Gannon wrote: This is not a theoretical concern. It may also have significant implications for the integrity of the EU Vat system and the fair functioning of the internal market. Senator Patricia Stephenson, who also wrote to OLAF, highlighted concerns that flights into Shannon may be "facilitating Israel's genocidal war in Gaza". "There is credible evidence that military contractors and private aircraft carrying dual-use goods — goods that can be used in weapons systems — are moving through Irish airspace and Irish territory en route to Israel," said Ms Stephenson. Both Ms Stephenson and Mr Gannon have also written to the Attorney General seeking legal clarity on the Government's positions for non-inspection of flights. Raising the matter in the Dáil, Mr Gannon said: "The moral failure speaks for itself, but we are potentially in breach of EU Vat enforcement rules, which raises serious questions." Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government fulfils its legal obligations when it comes to the inspection of flights. "In respect of aviation, there are international conventions that the Government and all governments have to adhere to regarding inspections or state flights, for example, as opposed to commercial flights. "The Government is adhering to and observing those obligations," said Mr Martin.
