Refugee influx to Donegal halted following Creeslough tragedy

The intake of Ukrainian refugees into Donegal has been halted following the Creeslough tragedy.

The number here at the moment is almost 5,000, said the government department handling their needs and it will not be taking in any more here at this point in time.

"All agencies are at capacity in terms of support and will be under significant pressure following on from the tragedy in Creeslough," a spokesman said.

The ongoing dilemma on how to accommodate those arriving from the war-torn region came to a head last Friday when the Minister for Children Equality, Disability Integration and Youth Roderic O'Gorman said the State cannot guarantee it will be able to accommodate all Ukrainian refugees and international protection applicants by next week because of a capacity issue.

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It is understood that while many business-type operations have sprung up in a number of towns to accommodate refugees, many families throughout Donegal have been willing to provide accommodation, but their offers are not being processed.

There have also been questions regarding the arrival of refugees at the Finn Accommodation Centre in Ballybofey and how many Ukrainians are being catered for there. The Finn Accommodation Centre is the refurbished 47 apartments above the Finn Valley Shopping Centre at Trusk Road.

A spokesman for the department said since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on February 24, and the invoking of the temporary protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, they have worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis.

"The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months. The department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here.

"To date, more than 45,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 34,000 of those have been referred to us seeking accommodation from the State.

"Overseeing the provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types has been contracted, including hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, religious properties, accommodation operated by voluntary bodies and emergency accommodation. While this is not ideal, the priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodations.

"Based on recent information there are almost 5,000 people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine accommodated in Donegal. All agencies are at capacity in terms of support and will be under significant pressure following the tragedy in Creeslough. 

"As a result, the decision has been made to pause procurement in Donegal but that we will keep it under active review," a spokesman said.

He added the department will continue to work with the local authorities to ensure that we do not procure accommodation in areas where local services are saturated.

In relation to the accommodation at the Ballybofey apartments, the spokesman added that the Finn Accommodation Centre has been opened to provide emergency accommodation to international protection (IP) applicants accommodating families.

"In relation to the nationalities of the IP applicants in Finn Accommodation Centre, IP applicants have a statutory right to anonymity and accordingly, IPAS does not provide information about the occupants of IPAS accommodation," he said.