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Irish Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, July16th: On children in direct provision, EV charging and swimming safely
Sir, – Through the work of our organisations, we see the experiences of children, young people and their families in communities all across Ireland. We hear of the hardship and the daily struggles families are facing just to get by each week. This is particularly apparent when it comes to children and families living in direct provision. In recent weeks, the media has been full of talk and promises to address child poverty in the upcoming budget and yet these children, who are among the most at risk of poverty in the country, have been waiting far too long for these promises to be fulfilled. Funds for a child-specific income support for those living in international protection were secured in both Budgets 2024 and 2025, but still – nothing has come to fruition. Currently, children and young people living in the international protection system receive just €29.80 per week. Despite significant increases in the cost of living, this has remained unchanged since 2019. In February 2021 the Government committed to introduce an 'additional monthly payment per child in the form of an International Protection Child Payment' in their White Paper to end direct provision. READ MORE The payment was due to be made available in 2022. With Budget 2024 and Budget 2025 allocating €4.7 million and €8.4 million respectively to deliver this payment, children and young people are still waiting for this to happen. Children living in direct provision are the only group of children in the country to see zero increase in supports through successive budgets. Without any means to tackle the increased cost of living, these children are more likely to get pulled into poverty which affects all aspects of their life, from their health and nutrition to their social and emotional development. This is simply not good enough and in a country as wealthy as Ireland, there is no excuse. The investment is there; we now need to see implementation of the International Protection Child Payment as a matter of urgency. We cannot expect children and families to be able to maintain a decent standard of living with less than €30 a week. Even basic essentials are often miles out of reach. These are children and young people growing up in accommodation with no cooking facilities and without adequate income support, we hear of children eating cold meals or carbohydrate-heavy food for months on end. We are even aware of an instance where a young child ate sugar straight from the bag as a desperate means to keep hunger cravings at bay. Young people in direct provision have expressed how a lack of income means they have few opportunities to take part in activities with their friends and peers after school. The financial cost of school trips, after-school activities such as sport or dance class, or even just going out with friends are mere fantasies, creating major barriers for them to integrate or participate in their local communities. We have heard no good reason as to why this vital income support has not been implemented, because there is none. We cannot face into a third budget cycle with no progress made at all on measures we should already see in train. The current programme for government states that the Government will 'set an ambitious child poverty target ensuring a focus on inequality'. If they are to truly realise this commitment, we must see real action to lift all children and young people in direct provision out of poverty. We urge the Government to act immediately on this by providing an adequate child payment for those in direct provision with the funding secured in Budgets 2024 and 2025. – Yours, etc, TANYA WARD, Chief executive, Children's Rights Alliance, SUZANNE CONNOLLY, Chief executive, Barnardos, TERESA HEENEY, CEO, Early Childhood Ireland, NICK HENDERSON, CEO, Irish Refugee Council, MARY CUNNINGHAM, CEO, National Youth Council of Ireland, LOUISE BAYLISS, Head of Social Justice and Policy, Society of St Vincent de Paul, (And 13 others) Dublin. Portiuncula hospital Sir, – The decision by the HSE on the future operations at the Portiuncula Maternity Hospital, Ballinasloe, Co Galway puzzle me ('M aternity services across Ireland should be reviewed, expert group urges following Portiuncula report ,' July 9th). Would it not have been better to remove from the hospital the dangers to the patients rather than the patients? – Yours, etc, GERALDINE GREGAN, Clarecastle, Co Clare. Culture and exclusivity Sir, – I was taken aback by the headline ' Forget bonfires, Croke Park is where our culture is this weekend, ' (July 14th). What I found most disturbing was the use of the word 'our' and its exclusivity as regards culture on this island. It is absolutely true that Moygashel was a disgrace. However, in general, Orange Order parades go off peacefully, if somewhat noisily at times. The Orange Order and its general secretary, Mervyn Gibson, have done a lot of good work in this regard in recent years as have people in west Belfast in relation to transferring energies into féile an phobail events. In 2018 I attended the Belfast 12th of July parade as part of an official Irish government delegation, led by then minister for tourism and sport Brendan Griffin. Before the parade we had a meeting in the Grand Central Hotel with members of the Orange Order which was friendly and informative. Indeed, during the parade it stopped where we were standing and the grand marshall and others came over to welcome us and shake our hands. Surely, if we are to have reconciliation on this island we need to embrace cultures other than the very important, but not exclusive, 'Gaelic' culture and here I refer to the 'tribe' and not the game. Because the headline would indicate that there is one legitimate culture on this island which is the sole repository of 'our' culture. Moygashel and other excesses, appalling as they may be, should not be taken as a reason to reject the loyalist/unionist culture as a legitimate and equal culture on this island. I say this as someone who is a strong believer in Irish unity and a lifelong GAA member. Indeed, the validation of different cultures is a pre-requisite to unity. I believe the headline betrays a somewhat partitionist mentality which has been gaining currency in the Republic where we are defining ourselves in increasingly separatist terms. Here, I must acknowledge the outstanding and vital research being conducted by ARINS, led by Prof Brendan O'Leary and supported by The Irish Times in relation to North/South issues, often without sufficient recognition. Also, I am sure Malachy Clerkin, a journalist whom I admire greatly, was not being perniciously exclusive. But separation rather than unity is a creeping trend. – Yours, etc, JIM D'ARCY, Blackrock, Co Louth. Up Meath, and Donegal Sir, – Instilled with a pride for Meath football from a very early age (by a very proud Meath woman, my mother), I reflected upon the scoreline from the semi-final on Sunday. While it may have been far from the desired outcome on the day, but at a time where sad news, bad news, and global uncertainty can dominate the world headlines, this Meath team gave us something to focus on, lifting the spirits of the county, creating great banter with our neighbours, and a few great trips to Croke Park over the summer! It reignited many happy childhood memories, of Sunday afternoons over great summers. Our household, and my loyal friend Catherine, cheering for the greats such as Martin O'Connell, Robbie O'Malley, David Beggy, Graham Geraghty, Liam Hayes, Trevor Giles to name only a few, and when Ollie Murphy got that ball, we knew great scores were ahead! I will always remember the excitement when Liam Hayes brought the Sam Maguire to our school in Westmeath (thanks to his sister, who was our amazing English teacher). The excitement and passion in her eyes on sharing the experience was so energising. Meath have a fantastic up and coming team and I look forward to the future experiences that they will lead us through. Donegal played a great game on Sunday. Their supporters were brilliant craic, and on Sunday it was their turn to have the excitement in their eyes. Wishing them the very, very best to take it all the way in the All-Ireland. In the meanwhile, I'll proudly display my Meath flag, for another while. Up Meath! – Yours, etc, ISOBEL HARRIS, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. Sir, – Please allow me a few personal thoughts on last Sunday's semi-final between Donegal and Meath. I watched in awe our wonderful Donegal boys play with such brilliance and passion, that my heart near stopped and a few tears appeared. I'm going to put myself out there, and say, with the greatest of respect to Kerry: No team could possibly beat such brilliance and passion. So be it. – Yours, etc, BRIAN McDEVITT, Glenties, Co Donegal. Charging your vehicles at home Sir, – I totally agree with the selection of reader responses regarding the challenges of public charging of EVs. It is not good enough and a lot of public charging doesn't fit the profile of its users. However, I think it would have been good to get the perspective of somebody with a driveway and a home charger. For these people, EVs are a brilliant idea. A fuel pump in your driveway that fills the car overnight at cheap prices? Sign me up. Well, I did sign up 3½ years ago, and my average annual fuel bill is about ¤150 for 15,000km. And I have never had to wait for a public charger because less than 10 per cent of my charging is done publicly, generally on holidays. There are a lot of petrol and diesel cars sitting in driveways this morning that could just as easily be EVs with home charging at no inconvenience to their drivers. – Yours, etc, CHRIS CUMMINS, Sandyford, Dublin 18. City centre and apartment living Sir, – Richard Allen (Letters, July 15th) notes that despite long campaigning for the desirability of apartments, former Irish Times environment editor, Frank McDonald, has now 'changed his mind' and decided to move to the suburbs, perhaps missing the fact that Mr McDonald has moved from one apartment to another. Mr McDonald explained his move was due to several factors including the Government's failure to protect city centre apartment dwellers with appropriate 'European style' noise control legislation. Those of us agreeing with Mr McDonald, that apartments are desirable, environmentally friendly and suitable for many Irish people, are dismayed to find the Government once again lowering apartment standards rather than introducing a coherent planning and regulatory framework to support apartment and city centre living. The focus should be on giving people the option to live in the city centre, rather than the option to move out. – Yours, etc, STEPHEN WALL, Rialto, Dublin 8. Sir, – May I correct Frank McDonald when he refers to the Meeting House in Eustace Street as a Presbyterian Meeting House (' Why I moved out of Temple Bar after 25 years: I feared our home would become uninhabitable, ' July 12th)? It was in fact a Quaker Meeting House (Society of Friends) Meeting House. With respect. – Yours, etc, HELEN BAILY, Dublin. Swimming safety and rip currents Sir, – Too many of our young people especially are drowning in our seas and rivers on an all too regular basis, often caused by rip currents. Many of these tragedies are completely avoidable, even for non-swimmers. People tend to panic when they encounter a rip current and assume you must try to swim ashore to survive it, however the current will only pull you offshore, exhaustion sets in and, too often, tragedy strikes. What one actually needs to do to survive a rip current is to swim parallel to the shore (or wade if possible) until you are free of the rip, only then should you swim or wade ashore. Why aren't there more visible preventative guidelines on rip currents available from Water Safety Ireland? Guidelines on signs at beaches? Maybe a summer television ad demonstrating what to do if one encounters a rip current, for example? Information confined to an authority's website is not going to have the same reach. Let's not lose any more people unnecessarily to our waters. – Yours, etc, ANNETTE CANTWELL, Perrystown, Dublin 12. Continuing woes of letter writers Sir, – I've been writing letters to The Irish Times for years, mainly criticising Ireland's role as an international tax haven. You think you notice patterns over the years (very subjective this). I used to have a hit rate of one in three letters being published. A few years ago I wrote strident letters (unpublished) criticising having Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe reviewing books on economics. My hit rate fell to one in five around then and has stayed like that until recently. To my surprise my letter critical of Paschal Donohoe's reviews was published a couple of months ago. This is my 14th letter since and none have been published. Is this a record? – Yours, etc, PAUL CONNOLLY, Cavan. Sir, – Until recently, in the Letters page, you regularly printed an advisory to letter writers that it is possible to find space for only a small selection of the many letters received. In doing so, you yourself used up valuable space. Lately, you've taken to publishing letters by letter writers about letter writers, often themselves, whose letters have not been published. Words fail me. – Yours, etc, MICHAEL KEEGAN, Booterstown, Co Dublin. Sir, – If you think it's difficult to get a letter printed in the Irish Times (Rejection is cruel, but rejection by..., Letters, July 15th), you should try The Guardian! – Yours, etc, BILL REDMOND, Edinburgh Scotland. Sir, – 'A rejection may spoil your breakfast but you shouldn't let it spoil your lunch,' to paraphrase Kingsley Amis. – Yours, etc, ANNE MARIE KENNEDY, Co Galway.
Irish Times
27-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
People with right to remain in Ireland stuck in direct provision centres due to lack of housing, Hiqa finds
More than 20 per cent of people living in seven direct provision centres could not move out despite having permission to stay in Ireland due to a shortage of housing , according to reports from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa). The reports covered International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres in counties Cork, Kerry, Louth, Galway and Waterford. In addition to noting how many residents are in each centre, they record how many have been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection allowing them to move out and to look for their own housing. In two centres – Birchwood House in Co Waterford and Millstreet Accommodation Centre in Co Cork – 42 per cent of residents were stuck there, having been granted international protection but unable to leave. READ MORE Regarding Birchwood House, Hiqa said: 'While the primary function of the centre was to provide accommodation to people seeking international protection, the inspectors found that 54 (42 per cent) of the residents had received refugee, subsidiary protection or leave to remain status. 'Due to the lack of alternative accommodation, they were unable to avail of more appropriate accommodation arrangements in the community.' In Millstreet, where 109 of the 260 residents had refugee status or another right to remain, the report said 42 per cent of residents 'had received notice to seek private accommodation' outside of the centre. 'Due to the lack of alternative accommodation available this was not always possible.' At Carroll Village IPAS centre in Co Louth, 26 of the 88 residents (29.5 per cent) had the right to remain at the time of the inspection, March 19th and 20th last, but could not find housing. [ One in four single people seeking emergency accommodation are from direct provision, say homeless agencies Opens in new window ] At Park Lodge in Co Kerry, nine of the 51 residents (17 per cent) had permission to remain. This fell to 4.4 per cent at Linden House, Co Kerry, 4.7 per cent at Great Western House in Co Galway and 5.4 per cent at Ashbourne House in Glounthaune, Co Cork. The Department of Justice is seeking to source additional IPAS accommodation due to continued pressure for beds in the system. The most recent data from the department, published on June 20th, shows there were 2,577 male adult asylum seekers 'awaiting offers of accommodation'. Figures released last week show the department has received 131 offers from property owners of buildings to be used as IPAS centres. These were being 'worked through and assessed', meaning it was not possible to state how many of the 131 had been offered for sale rather than lease, a department spokeswoman said. The seven Hiqa reports published on Friday showed high levels of compliance with national standards. However, two centres had areas of noncompliance. At Park Lodge in Co Kerry, where 51 single women are living, inspectors who visited on February 18th and 19th noted that 'residents spoke positively' about the centre. However, it said 'improvements were required ... related to strengthening safeguarding practices', as well as the recruitment of a reception officer, development of supporting guidance documents for the reception officer, and the need for enhanced governance to ensure adequate oversight, accountability and monitoring. Carroll Village in Co Louth, home to 88 people in families, was inspected on March 19th and 20th. 'The inspectors were told by residents that they felt safe living in the centre. Life ... felt 'normal' [and] some residents said they 'don't feel different here'.' However, the report said: 'The overall governance and oversight systems in place were not fully effective.' It added: 'Systems to review the implementation of, and compliance with relevant standards, legislation and policies were not fully effective' and, 'the service provider had not ensured that all of the required notifications were submitted to Hiqa in line with the requirements.'
