FOUR more makeshift tent towns will be built across the country in the coming weeks to house the increased number of refugees coming to Ireland, the Irish Sun can reveal.
Soldiers have already started building Ireland’s second camp in Co Clare after 150 people who fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine were moved into the tent facility at Gormanston military barracks, Co Meath yesterday.
The Government tasked the Defence Forces with building emergency accommodation at Gormanston barracks earlier this year.
Soldiers have built a camp that is capable of accommodating around 320 people with the first groups made up of largely women and children.
Gormanston is being used as an overflow facility for people who arrive in Dublin when there is not enough room at the CityWest welcome centre.
Families that have escaped the invasion in Ukraine will share tents that accommodate 16 people each.
The makeshift tent town also includes a canteen and large children’s play tents which are filled with toys and games.
Two catering trucks were seen entering the Gormanston Barracks with food provided to residents while they are staying at the facility.
Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman wants people brought to the army t
ent facility to stay there for a maximum of seven days before they are moved to more permanent housing.
However, the Government are scrambling to find enough housing to deal with the rising number of people arriving from Ukraine along with a surge in refugees coming to Ireland from other countries.
The Irish Sun understands that the Defence Forces has already been contacted to help build four more tent camps across the country.
The army is working with the Office of Public Works to develop these camps that will be built outside Direct Provision centres that are owned and run by the State.
Soldiers have already begun building Ireland's second tent camp for refugees outside the International Protection Accommodation Services centre in Knockalisheen in Co Clare.
The location of the next three camps has not yet been finalised but they will be based on the land around State-owned International Protection Accommodation centres.
NUMBERS CONCERN
Earlier this week, the Government moved to temporarily ban visa free travel for people who have been granted refugee status in other “safe” European countries.
Ireland has stepped outside of an agreement between a number of European countries to allow people granted refugee status in one country to travel freely to Ireland.
It’s understood the Government is concerned about the number of people who were getting refugee status in other EU countries but then travelling on to seek accommodation in Ireland.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin yesterday said that the ban will stay in place for 12 months.
He said there was “concern in the Department of Justice on how that system was operating, so a decision was taken to suspend it for 12 months when we will review it”.
It comes after photos emerged earlier this week of refugees sleeping on the floor at the CityWest welcome centre in Dublin.
He said there was “concern in the Department of Justice on how that system was operating, so a decision was taken to suspend it for 12 months when we will review it”.
It comes after photos emerged earlier this week of refugees sleeping on the floor at the CityWest welcome centre in Dublin.
