Permission denied to turn Rathcabbin nursing home into IPAS Centre

THE government has denied permission to the owner of St Kieran's Nursing Home Rathcabbin to turn his property into an asylum seeker centre.

Many locals were opposed to the idea of housing asylum seekers in the former nursing home and, following months of lobbying, it would seem that the government has decided to listen to them.

Contacting The Midland Tribune the Secretary of Rathcabbin Concerned Residents Orla Kennedy said, “We are happy to share with you that St Kieran’s Nursing Home Rathcabbin has been refused as an IPAS (International Protection Accommodation Services) Centre. Correspondence received yesterday evening from IPPS (International Protection Procurement Service) confirmed the decision following a full inspection. This was done solely through people power and the hard work from the community committee.”

Willie Rigney, Chairman of Rathcabbin Concerned Residents, said this was a victory for common sense. “On Friday morning Deputy Jackie Cahill and Cllr Ryan O'Meara got in contact with us and said they had been told verbally by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth that the Department had decided to refuse permission to transform St Kieran's into an IPAS Centre.

"A few hours later the Department emailed us and confirmed that this was the case. We are very happy. A cloud has been lifted from the community. The last six months have been very stressful for many people in our community because they were fearful of an unknown future. We did not know what kind of people would be moving into our community. The Department never told us that. This lack of information from the Department was very frustrating. Overall, throughout Ireland, the IPAS situation is not being well handled in quite a number of cases by the Department. If the Department was less secretive and engaged more with communities then there mightn't be as much resistance to IPAS Centres. These Centres are being driven with an iron fist down people's throats.”

Willie said most people in the community want to see the home being used in more appropriate ways, such as a nursing home or a home for people suffering from dementia. He pointed out that the owner Willie O'Sullivan has planning permission to construct an extension to St Kieran's containing 52 extra beds.

The Chairman thanked the local politicians for lobbying the Department and the local media for highlighting the issue. He thanked the community of Rathcabbin for standing up for what is right, and for turning out in hundreds for a protest walk last week.

Responding to questions in the Dáil a few months ago, Minister Roderic O'Gorman said Department officials were “working tirelessly to bring more bed spaces into use, and since January 2022 have brought 208 properties into use to accommodate those who arrive in Ireland seeking international protection. This brings the total number of IPAS centres to 257, with capacity for 27,275 beds.”

The Minister said initial offers of accommodation are received by the International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) primarily through its e-mail portal - ipps@equality.gov.ie. Once an offer is received, IPPS sends a proposal template to the prospective provider that they are required to complete and return.

“The proposal template seeks to gather as much information as is reasonably practicable to facilitate an objective assessment of the suitability of the premises to accommodate international protection (IP) applicants. This includes information on the building's safety and fitness for occupancy, its catering provision and room sizes, its recreational and lounge facilities and various other criteria such as Wi-Fi, security provision and staffing. When an offer is received and assessed, the onus is on the provider to ensure that the property is of a suitable standard.”

An asylum seeker is a person seeking to be granted protection as a refugee outside their country of origin and is awaiting the determination of his/her status. If granted refugee status, the person is no longer an asylum seeker. In Ireland, the asylum process is a legal system which decides who qualifies as a refugee and who is then entitled to remain in Ireland and under its protection. Once granted refugee status, a refugee is granted the right to reside in Ireland for at least three years, which is renewable (see section 54 of the International Protection Act). A refugee enjoys rights and responsibilities similar to those of an Irish citizen.

7,300 people have been refused refugee status since the beginning of 2023. About 100 of them have been deported.