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Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Aontú councillor ‘wasn't advocating for violence' at meeting about possible Ipas centres in Meath
David Boyne, who is a local councillor for Trim, stood up at a Trim Says No rally on May 30, where he spoke about a recent decision not to permit an International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) centre in an industrial unit in the area. Mr Boyne also addressed a separate application that has been lodged for another unit in the centre of Trim town, with a decision expected next week. Before being handed the microphone, Mr Boyne was told he was not allowed to mention politics, including 'f words' that relate to political parties. However, during his speech Mr Boyne said that people power came in two forms, violence or voting. 'I won't mention those words but you know what to do. You know how to stop this,' Mr Boyne said. 'It's people power and people power translates into two things, violence or votes. And if you're not going to do one, do the other.' Last week, Meath County Council decided not to provide Erinpark Ltd with an exemption to turn a unit in Oak Tree Business Park into a centre for international protection applicants. A final decision on a separate application for a premises at Fairgreen, Summerhill Road, is expected on June 10. Mr Boyne said he was not telling those gathered at the meeting to use violence to oppose Ipas centres. 'Absolutely not. I wasn't advocating for violence. The point I was trying to make was people power translates to votes,' Mr Boyne said. 'So, when I said violence or votes, I was referring to the 1916 Rising, which was a violent event, that was people power. That's one way to do it, which nobody wants. Or the other way is votes. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'I couldn't talk about politics. I couldn't mention politics and I was trying to link the fact that people power is politics.' The councillor said he hoped that his meaning was not picked up incorrectly. 'The thrust of what I was saying was, violence is bad. Don't do that. Voting is good. Do that,' Mr Boyne said. An Aontú spokesperson said it was 'absolutely ridiculous' to suggest that Mr Boyne was inciting violence. 'Anyone who knows him would find this allegation outrageous. Cllr Boyne is on the public record a number of times calling on people not to take matters into their own hands and not to touch property,' the party said. At a previous meeting on international protection centres in the area, Mr Boyne told those gathered that 'anyone here that might be of a mind to take matters into their own hands, do not touch that building'. The spokesperson added that while Mr Boyne's language was 'very clunky', the councillor had asked people to translate their people power into votes. 'Cllr Boyne is a brand new councillor. He was elected less than a year ago. He hasn't had much experience in public speaking, yet he has been thrown into the deep end, trying to help communities grapple with the Ipas system,' the spokesperson said. They added that it was 'unfair' for Mr Boyne's words to be portrayed as anything other than peaceful, because 'he misspoke once'.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
‘Children can't even move in their beds they are so small': Cramped and damp conditions in some Ipas centres
Residents of an International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) centre in Co Westmeath have reported difficulties accessing medical appointments due to limited transport with some calling emergency services on 'occasions when out-of-hours services may have been more appropriate', said the State's health watchdog. Inspection reports from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) into seven permanent Ipas centres also describe cramped and damp conditions in some with nappies and toiletries not provided for. An unannounced inspection of the Temple Accommodation Centre in Co Westmeath last February found that single people applying for international protection shared their bedrooms with up to three unrelated residents and 'in one case, four unrelated residents'. The allocation of accommodation did not always promote the 'privacy and dignity of residents' due to the configuration of the accommodation provided, the inspection report said. READ MORE It noted the centre was in a rural location and residents who did not have their own transport were dependent on the service providers to leave the centre. A bus service to a small town nearby was available twice daily from Monday to Thursday and once each Friday, it said. As the centre was nine kilometres from the nearest town, bicycles and scooters were not always suitable. 'Some residents reported difficulties accessing medical appointments due to limited transport and the inspectors noted that residents called emergency services on occasions when out-of-hours services may have been more appropriate,' it said. 'The service provider had not assessed these challenges or the associated risks.' Overall, Temple Accommodation Centre along with Dominick Street Complex in Co Galway, Athlone Accommodation Centre in Co Westmeath, Dublin Central Inn in Co Dublin and St Patrick's Accommodation Centre Co Monaghan had 'varying' levels of compliance with Hiqa's standards. Eglinton Centre in Co Galway and Slaney Court Apartments in Co Wicklow were found to have no non-compliances identified against the national standards. Where noncompliance with the standards was identified, providers were required to submit plans to demonstrate how they will make improvements and come into compliance with them. An unannounced inspection of Athlone Accommodation Centre in March found while it was evident upgrade works were ongoing to mobile homes, 'living arrangements were not adequate to meet the needs of some residents'. 'Mobile homes were often cramped due to their size and residents did not have suitable space in many instances to store their belongings,' the inspection report said. 'While staff did their best to improve living conditions for residents, the type of accommodation provided in this centre did not fully support some residents' rights and impacted on the wellbeing and overall quality of life for families.' Some residents said 'children can't even move in their beds they are so small', 'conditions are cramped and I've nowhere to study or complete college work'. Other residents there spoke of 'their deep concern about the damp conditions and poor ventilation' in the mobile homes, which they felt had caused 'their families to become ill'. Inspectors were told by residents that staff were doing their best to support them in this situation and that the maintenance staff team had gone to 'great efforts to remove mould from mobile homes and improve living conditions for them'. Inspectors were also informed by management and some families that, particularly in the case of secondary school places, some children had to travel 'considerable distances' to their school, due to a shortage of spaces locally. At the Dublin Central Inn, inspectors observed 'overcrowding' in some of the family units with parents and children sharing a room and 'compromising their dignity and privacy'. Two residents also noted they did not feel 'adequately supported to live a meaningful life in the centre' and some indicated a limited awareness of centre policies and procedures, the inspection report said.
The Journal
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Migration Minister says he is unaware of reported plans to purchase Dublin's Citywest Hotel
THE MINISTER FOR Migration, Fine Gael's Colm Brophy, today said that he is not aware of plans to purchase Dublin's Citywest Hotel to house international protection applicants. The Irish Times reported yesterday that Cabinet has been considering the purchase of the 764-bedroom hotel, and are set discuss the purchase as soon as Tuesday. The facility could reportedly house up to 1,000 people. The report comes as the Department of Justice stepped back from contentious plans to convert the site of the former Crown Paints in Coolock to Ipas accommodation. The site had been at the centre of many protests – some of which turned violent. Speaking today on RTÉ's This Week, Brophy was asked about the report and whether it was accurate. Advertisement Brophy reiterated that he is a Minister of State and is therefore not privy to what is discussed during Cabinet meetings. 'I cannot comment on what is going to Cabinet on Tuesday for the very simple reason that as a Minister of State, I am not a member of the cabinet, so I don't have access to it,' he told host Justin McCarthy. 'I have the same level of knowledge that you have, which is you've read an Irish Times report and I've read an Irish Times report, so you're asking me to actually say something, as if I knew when I don't actually have access.' Brophy said he is 'absolutely aware of [the government's] program, of what we're looking to purchase. I am not aware of the specific memo that is going to Cabinet on Tuesday.' Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who was also on the programme, and Brophy argued over the state's approach to both Coolock and Ipas more generally. Ó Ríordáin said that the government had 'made a bags of it', referring to its handling of Coolock, while Brophy later labelled Ó Ríordáin's assertions as 'rubbish'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
'Less pressure on the system' due to drop-off in asylum applications since start of year
THE NUMBER OF applications by people seeking asylum in Ireland has almost halved compared to last year. This drop has eased pressure in the accommodation system, according to groups working the sector, resulting in less demand for beds and making it more likely for the government to not progress plans for accommodation centres in some instances. This week has seen confirmation that some prominent locations will not be used for International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas). The former Crown Paints site in Coolock has been ruled out – almost a year after protests turned into violence amid opposition to the plans – and a smaller site in The Liberties was also rejected. From January to April this year – as per data published by the International Protection Office – there has been a 43% drop in applications for Ireland's asylum system here compared to the same timeframe for last year. The total number of applications for international protection up to April for this year was 4,096 – a significant fall compared to the 7,187 applications for the same period last year. Advertisement A statement by the Department of Justice – which recently took over responsibility for Ireland's asylum system – explained that among its considerations when deciding on the Coolock site was the 'current level of need in the sector'. It said it also gives consideration to the location, access to services and welfare of residents. John Lannon, chief executive of Limerick-based humanitarian organisation Doras, which works with refugees and asylum seekers, told The Journal that he believes the government has become 'pragmatic' about centres in light of the reduced pressure. 'The numbers of people applying for international protection have gone down, which is obviously resulting in a bit less pressure on the system,' he said. Lannon also pointed to a shift from Ukrainian to Ipas accommodation by some private sector providers as also freeing up space for asylum seekers, thereby lessening the need for new accommodation centres. 'And if and where they're successful then that helps to ease up room,' Lannon said. 'The consequence of that, of course, is that you get Ukrainians who have started to make a life for themselves in one part of the country, then they are uprooted and brought to a different part of the country .' Lannon said that 'huge efforts' had been made to try and get people who've received documentation out of the existing Ipas centres, which he said has not been as successful because of the lack of availability of housing. A further issue that sometimes halts the development of some centres is where planning issues are identified early on in a development, leading to compliance issues or problems facing the accommodation provider over whether they can demonstrate that they can be compliant with planning regulations. This has lead to some failing to meet early hurdles according to figures working in the sector. However, Lannon said he was concerned by the opposition that has remained to Ipas centres in communities and said that community engagement often isn't enough when the same areas suffer from inadequate GP care and school places. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Independent
03-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Trump's cuts to contraception will kill ‘tens of thousands' of women
More than 8,000 women and girls are believed to have died from complications during pregnancy or birth as a result of Donald Trump freezing US aid funding after returning to the White House, a toll which could become 34,000 by the end of the year, researchers have warned. Contraceptive services are among the programmes hit by billions of dollars of US aid cuts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Some 4.2 million women and girls have become unintentionally pregnant since aid was cut on 20 January, according to calculations from the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research group. Around 8,000 are estimated to have died because of cuts to care. 'With each passing day, an additional 130,390 women and girls, according to our estimates, continue to be denied contraceptive care and thus put at risk for poor health outcomes and even death,' said Jonathan Wittenberg, Guttmacher's CEO. This comes as The Independent reveals US cuts have derailed the projected end of the Aids pandemic, which could lead to four million extra deaths by 2030. Trump's 90-day freeze had an initial deadline of 20 April, but the review of US aid spending has been extended by at least another month. If nothing changes, by the end of 2025 this will amount to almost 50 million people being denied access to contraception and advice, leading to a potential 34,000 extra women and girls dying preventable deaths, according to the Guttmacher Institute. This research, 'clearly shows that these cuts will cost lives and already are,' Mr Wittenberg said, representing, 'an unprecedented abandonment of American leadership on the world stage'. 'What started as a 90-day funding freeze has now become a permanent state of affairs', he added, with US support for global family-planning services having already been all but cancelled. The figures from the Guttmacher Institute are estimates – it will take a while for the 'real on-the-ground" impacts to become clear, Mr Wittenberg. But he believes the true toll is likely to be higher, since the calculations only took into account cuts to contraception services. Maternal and newborn health services have also faced cuts. The countries previously receiving more US support, such as Tanzania and Malawi, are likely to be harder hit. Billions of dollars in funding for HIV, maternal and child health and family-planning services have been frozen. More than $2 billion has been lost in HIV funding to just 18 countries, according to reproductive justice goup Ipas. In Malawi more than half of doctor and midwife roles stand vacant, according to Ipas, while in Kenya roughly 55,000 jobs in the health sector have disappeared. This reveals the 'very real, tangible impacts' of the cuts, said Ipas president Dr Anu Kumar, leading to delays for patients and burnout for remaining staff. Historically, the US has both led the world when it comes to family-planning funding, and put in place stringent rules to stop its aid dollars being spent on abortion services or advocacy. Since the mid-1980s, every Republican president has introduced the so-called 'global gag rule' preventing groups receiving US aid for family planning from providing legal abortion care. Trump reinstated it in his first week as president. Dr Kumar says that if she was searching for one 'silver lining' from the cuts, it is that without US funding, some programmes might find themselves freed from the restraints of the 'global gag rule' and that could present 'the opportunity to reimagine global health, including support for sexual and reproductive health and rights'. But if a proposed expansion of the gag to humanitarian aid is passed, it could put pressure on national governments to move in the other direction.
