Miltown direct provision centre to close immediately

THE highly controversial emergency direct provision centre in Miltown Malbay is to close immediately.
The Department of Justice and Equality has informed residents that all transfers will be completed by the end of this week. Also, there are no further plans for the premises in Miltown Malbay to be used as a direct provision centre.
Miltown Malbay Welcome Group has expressed relief that the residents of the centre will now be relocated.
“Although we are saddened to think that we are losing the men who have added so much to our small community, we hope that they will now be accommodated in places where their safety, dignity, human rights and privacy are respected,” the organisation said.

Deputy Cathal Crowe said, “I have been in contact both with the residents of the direct provision centre itself and the local group set up in Miltown to ensure they have an acceptable standard of living and I know this is news that will be a relief to both.
“Furthermore, I will be pressing the importance with Minister Helen McEntee of setting up an inspectorate system so that where standards of care are not met, centres can be closed. We shouldn’t procrastinate with these issues,” he said.
The residents of The Central Hostel had themselves written to the Minister McEntee, other politicians and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
They stated, “We are tired of the Central [Hostel]. We are sick. We are becoming crazy here. Until now we didn’t say before, because we are afraid that this letter can interfere in our case. But now we decided to speak. We are tired.
“Some of us have a work permit but cannot find a job here.
“We have many problems inside the hostel. We had opportunity to speak with IPAS [ International Protection Accommodation Service] but we were afraid and also we were concerned about the people that could lose their jobs in the hostel.”

Austin Hobbs