Latest news with #accommodation
Irish Times
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Asylum seekers left homeless are ‘not in state of degradation incompatible with human dignity', appeal court rules
Asylum seekers left without accommodation on arrival into the State are 'placed in a situation of extreme material poverty', but are not in 'a state of degradation incompatible with human dignity', the Court of Appeal has ruled. The ruling, published on Wednesday, comes in response to an appeal by the State against a judgment of the High Court. In that case, heard last year, the High Court ruled the State had failed in its duty to provide for the basic needs, including accommodation, of international protection applicants, thereby breaching their right to dignity. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) had brought the case in respect of a class of people, namely international protection applicants, who were not offered accommodation when they made their asylum claim having recently arrived in Ireland. READ MORE The State lodged its appeal to that ruling last November, and it was heard in March. When the IHREC began its case in December 2023, there were 259 international protection applicants left unaccommodated. As of July 14th, there were 1,333 male international protection applicants, or asylum seekers, 'awaiting offer of accommodation', Department of Justice data showed. Since December 2023, when the policy of not guaranteeing accommodation to single, male adult asylum seekers accommodation on arrival began, a total of 9,763 have presented to make international protection applications. Accommodation was offered to 1,391 on arrival – generally those triaged as 'vulnerable'. Offers were made subsequent to their arrival in the cases of 7,039 men. In lieu of accommodation this cohort is provided with weekly allowance of €113.80 a week along with information on charities providing food and tents. International protection applicants are not entitled to emergency accommodation. In a statement on Wednesday, the human rights commission said: 'We welcome the fact that the court has confirmed that IHREC has proved that the State had placed international protection applicants in a position of extreme material poverty. 'The court has also clearly confirmed IHREC's entitlement to bring a case of this nature. 'The court has gone on to state that evidence provided by IHREC from a small sample of homeless IP [international protection] applicants was insufficient to prove that those conditions of extreme material poverty undermined the physical and mental health of the 2,800 IP applicants who were the subject of this case to the degree that it breached their right to human dignity.' It said it would fully consider the judgment before commenting further.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 Accommodation Barometer: UK Sector Resilient, Yet Pressed on Talent and Digital Fronts
AMSTERDAM, July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new set of reports from Statista, produced in partnership with sheds light on key developments shaping Europe's accommodation sector — from evolving skills requirements and investment patterns to diverging national outlooks and the uneven pace of digital transformation. UK hoteliers report a stable and optimistic outlook for 2025, with just over half experiencing positive economic development in recent months. Only 4% feel pessimistic about the upcoming six months. UK accommodations' hiring appetite is low compared to neighbours in Europe, with salary expectations seen as a key recruitment challenge. While AI's potential is recognised, barriers like costs and integration difficulties persist. As tourism-related levy proposals crop up across the UK, most accommodations anticipate little impact on occupancy, but one in five expect a negative effect. Chain accommodation providers tend to report greater optimism and investment intent than independent businesses. "This year's data from the UK points to two pressing challenges: a widening skills gap and uneven digital progress," said Thomas Hinton, Data Journalist at Statista. "Nearly half of respondents cite difficulties hiring qualified staff. Meanwhile, while AI is making inroads in some areas, broader adoption remains limited — often due to cost or technical hurdles." About the Barometer: The European Accommodation Barometer 2025 — in its fifth edition — draws on survey responses from more than 1,000 hoteliers across the continent. It combines a comprehensive Europe-wide report in English with 14 country-specific editions, available in local languages, for Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Nordics, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. All reports are available for free download from the Statista website. Click here to view picture. Shanhong Liu Senior Editorial Researcher & Project Manager Phone: +49 40 284 841 791 View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
High Court blocks residents' bid to challenge use of hotel for housing asylum seekers
The High Court has refused to allow several Co Galway residents to mount a challenge to the Government's decision to house international protection applicants at a hotel. Kinvara residents Ruth Sexton, Mary Boyce, Chris Hartnett Dalton and Paul Collins had asked the court for permission to challenge the decision from March to place up to 98 people in the village's Merriman Hotel, which is home at present to about 50 Ukrainians. The Merriman Hotel has accommodated international protection applicants since 2019, but, the residents said, the Government's decision in March constituted a fresh designation of the building as international protection accommodation. In designating a place as an accommodation centre, the Minister for Integration was obliged to consider the public interest under a statutory instrument provided for in the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018. READ MORE The residents said the Minister breached this obligation in his alleged designation of the building in March. In a ruling, Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger said the decision was not a fresh designation of the premises, so the statutory instrument did not apply. The hotel was clearly designated in 2019 when international protection applicants were first accommodated there, she said. The judge said she was not satisfied the residents had presented arguable grounds on which their case would succeed. She said the Minister was not legally obliged to consult residents or prepare an assessment of how his decision might affect local businesses, the availability of a local venue for family events or the availability of social services where a premises has already been designated as international protection accommodation. Ms Justice Bolger said the Government's decision was mainly grounded on the State's obligation to provide accommodation to those seeking asylum. 'The [residents] accept that the State has a legal obligation to provide accommodation for applicants for international protection, but seem to ask the court to prioritise their personal interest in having a hotel in their locality to accommodate tourists and provide a local venue for their family events over the State's attempt to comply with those national, European and international obligations,' she said. Ms Sexton, of Sexton's Bar, Main Street; Ms Boyce, of Cathercon; Mr Hartnett Dalton, of Northampton; and Mr Collins, of Crushoa, all Kinvara, had sought to bring proceedings against the Minister for Integration and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Kinvara residents fail in application to challenge decision to accommodate asylum seekers at hotel
Several residents of a Co Galway village have failed in their bid to bring High Court proceedings challenging the Government's decision to house international protection applicants at a local hotel. Kinvara residents Ruth Sexton, Mary Boyce, Chris Hartnett Dalton and Paul Collins had sought the court's permission to challenge the decision in March to place up to 98 people in the Merriman Hotel, which is currently home to about 50 Ukrainian people. Advertisement The Merriman Hotel has accommodated international protection applicants since 2019, but, the residents contended, the Government's decision in March constituted a fresh designation of the building as international protection accommodation. In designating a premise as an accommodation centre, the Minister for Integration is obliged to have regard for public interest, among other considerations, under a statutory instrument provided for in the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018. The residents argued that the Minister was in breach of this obligation in their alleged designation of the building in March. In a judgment, Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger said the decision in March to accommodate 98 people at the Merriman Hotel was not a fresh designation of the premises, and therefore, the statutory instrument did not apply. The hotel was clearly designated in 2019, when international protection applicants were first accommodated there, the judge said. Advertisement The judge said it was not possible to judicially review the decision complained of by the residents. Ms Justice Bolger said she was not satisfied the residents had presented arguable grounds on which their case would succeed, and denied their application to bring the proceedings. The judge noted that there was no legal obligation on the Minister to consult residents or prepare an assessment of how its decision might impact local businesses, or the availability of a local venue for family events, or the availability of social services where a premises has already been designated as international protection accommodation. The judge said the Government's decision in March is mainly grounded in the State's obligation to provide accommodation to those seeking asylum. Advertisement 'The [residents] accept that the State has a legal obligation to provide accommodation for applicants for international protection but seem to ask the court to prioritise their personal interest in having a hotel in their locality to accommodate tourists and provide a local venue for their family events over the State's attempt to comply with those national, European and international obligations,' the judge said. The case is listed before the judge later this week. The residents – Ms Sexton, of Sexton's Bar, Main Street, Kinvara; Ms Boyce, of Cathercon, Kinvara, Mr Hartnett Dalton, of Northampton, Kinvara; and Mr Collins, of Crushoa, Kinvara – had sought to bring proceedings against the Minister for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability and Integration and the Minister for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- News.com.au
Jaw-dropping find behind Bali villa door
When I go on holiday, I find nothing more exciting than the moment I get to see my accommodation for the first time. I often have butterflies in my stomach as I open the door, as sad as that is to admit. In my 20-plus years of travelling, I've never had a more visceral reaction to a 'first glimpse' than when I recently checked into Villa Vienna in Seminyak, Bali. The eight-bedroom property was recently named by Stayz as the Best International Holiday Home for Aussie travellers in 2025 so I knew it was going to be good, but when I pushed open the villa's giant round wooden door for the first time, I literally gasped. I was greeted with a big blue pool featuring a large round jacuzzi, oversized day beds and a manicured lawn. I felt as if I'd just stepped foot onto the set of Love Island (before the horny contestants arrived). My jaw remained dropped as Nita, one of the villa's guest liaisons, gave me a tour of the rest of the property, including the sunken living room, indoor swim-up pool bar, cinema room and the sauna (I'm not sure why you'd want a sauna when it already feels like one outside … but maybe that's just me). You can check out the villa in the video at the top of this article (prepare to be wowed). For three glorious nights, I was lucky enough to call Villa Vienna my home, and to give you a taste of what it was like, I'm going to run you through just one of those days. 7.30am - I wake up in my airconditioned bedroom that overlooks the pool, open the curtains, and walk into my huge outdoor bathroom for a bath. 8.15am - The doorbell rings. It's the villa's personal chefs (yes, plural) who have arrived to cook me breakfast. Twenty minutes later the dining table is set, and the chefs lay down a colourful three-course meal consisting of a smoothie bowl, fruit platter and omelette with toast, hash browns and sausages. 9.30am - I leave the villa to get a takeaway coffee at Revolver, a cafe that serves one of Bali's best brews. It's conveniently located just 100 metres from the villa, where I return to slowly sip my long black while lounging on one of the day beds next to the pool. With a book in hand, I settle in for the next few hours. 11.30am - The doorbell rings again. This time it's the villa's in-house masseuse who's arrived for my prearranged massage. The masseuse sets up in my bedroom and for the next hour she gives me one of the best, most relaxing massages I've ever received. At one stage I fall asleep and I'm woken by my snoring. Terribly embarrassing, but also a ringing endorsement of the massage, right? 1pm - Still floating on cloud nine from the massage, I leave the villa and walk five minutes to Ginger Moon Canteen for lunch. It's one of the many highly rated restaurants near the villa, which is located right near Seminyak Square. 2.30pm - There's no denying that Seminyak is an assault on the senses. With scooters zipping by, people trying to sell you items on the street, and tourists galore, it's easy to get overwhelmed. But as I return to the villa for a post-lunch swim, I can't help but notice how none of that chaos is noticeable once you walk through the big wooden door. The villa is a calm, peaceful oasis, even though it's just 100 metres from the action. 5.30pm - I wake up from an unplanned nap on one of the poolside day beds. It's entirely possible that I was woken by my snoring again, but I don't know for sure, so let's just pretend it was the bang of a scooter backfiring nearby … yes, let's go with that. 6pm - After a quick shower, I catch a Grab (Indonesian version of Uber) scooter to La Plancha, a beach bar famous for its colourful bean bags and bright umbrellas. With a cocktail in hand, I watch the sunset. 7pm - I arrive at MoonLite Kitchen and Bar, a rooftop restaurant overlooking the beach, for dinner. 9pm - Back at Villa Vienna, I head upstairs to the cinema room to watch a movie. 11pm - Bedtime. My thoughts Before my recent trip, I'd never actually considered staying in a villa in Bali, mostly because there are so many amazing hotels over there. But I can assure you that will change from now on, particularly when travelling with a large posse. And it appears I'm not alone. 'With more villas being built in Bali, it's no surprise we're seeing more Aussies opt for private stays, especially when they come with such standout amenities as we see with Villa Vienna,' Stayz travel expert, Sarah King told 'We know Aussies value privacy, comfort and convenience, so we're seeing a growing demand in Aussies choosing private stays when travelling overseas – a trend that's growing faster than traditional accommodation.' Villa Vienna would be the perfect choice for a group trip to Bali given just how spacious, luxurious and private it is. Watch the video tour at the top of this page and imagine being there with 15 of your besties, a playlist called 'Baliday Inn Tunes' playing in the background, sipping on Bintangs and playing Marco Polo in the pool. If you're planning a trip to the Island of the Gods, definitely consider staying at Villa Vienna - because once you step through that giant wooden door, you'll fall in love with the place, and the staff, just like I did. And trust me, you won't want to leave. Spoiler: I did leave, but I left a piece of my heart (and my dignity — see: massage snoring) at Villa Vienna.
