8 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Government buys Citywest Hotel and convention centre for €148m
The hotel will be used for housing international protection applicants. Currently, around 2,300 international protection applicants, as well as Ukrainian refugees, live at Citywest.
The Government is also intending to buy a number of other venues around the country to house migrants in up to 14,000 beds.
Savings of around 50pc on operation costs will be made as a result of the purchase, according to Migration Minister Colm Brophy. It will take the State four years to recoup the costs.
Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said the Government wants to buy a number of other venues to house migrants around the country.
'In the programme for government, our intention is to own 14,000 accommodation units for applicants of international protection. That will require us to purchase further places around the country,' he said.
'That's going to result in a significant saving over a period. Up to four years, we'll have really reached savings in respect of it. So it's going to be far cheaper in the long term, in terms of owning it, as opposed to the costs we're paying at present per person in the accommodation.
Migration Minister Colm Brophy said the numbers of migrants being housed at Citywest will not change.
'We are not changing the overall of what is happening in Citywest at the moment in terms of numbers,' he said.
'Citywest has been working very effectively in terms of having an IPAS centre there, having Ukrainians also present there and having also a range of services and facilities.
'We are not planning on changing those numbers,' he said.
A portion of the hotel located in west Dublin - which is the biggest hotel in the country - is already being used by the Government to provide housing for international protection applicants.
The current owners of Citywest received €51m from the State for the first nine months of last year for use of the facility.
It was recently reported that the Stop Citywest Hotel Purchase residents' group is considering legal action to stop the Government's planned purchase.
The Government agreed in March to implement a new system to house international protection applicants, which included the purchase of "medium and large turnkey properties."
