The Department of Integration has said that it is continuing to engage with the provider of accommodation in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, following protests outside a hotel in relation to the housing of International Protection applicants.
In a statement this afternoon, a spokesperson said "the Department is continuing to engage with the provider in relation to the premises in Ballinrobe, and is not in a position to comment further".
This evening, Ballinrobe-based Fine Gael Councillor Michael Burke said he had been in direct contact with the owner of the hotel and said he had been assured there would be no contract with the Department in relation to a lease and no further engagement on the matter.
Elected representatives were told on Thursday about plans to accommodate 50 International Protection applicants in the former JJ Gannon's Hotel in Ballinrobe.
The Department of Integration said a one-year contract had been offered for the use of the building, with plans to start housing "adult males" there, from Monday next.
The development led to a demonstration outside the property last night, which was maintained by a number of people overnight and into today.
Protesters say they will continue their demonstration until they receive assurances about the plans for the premises from the Government.
Locals erected a gazebo, along with several signs, on the Main Street in front of the building.
Gardaí are at the scene and are continuing to monitor the situation.
Michelle Smith, who organised the demonstration, said there were concerns about the possible arrival of people into the town, when nothing was known about their backgrounds.
"My objection was that these men, we don't know anything about them, we don’t know where they came from.
"If they come here and get jobs, that’s fantastic, but we have no communication from anybody as to who they are or where they’re coming from. That is the problem," she said.
She said "there’s nothing bad towards anyone that’s coming, as long as they contribute the same way we are as taxpayers".
Ms Smith said there were also issues with putting 50 men into a 12-bedroom facility. She said there was a "fear factor" attached to such a proposal and that some people living in the area would not feel safe as a result.
She denied there was a racist undertone to the protest saying such claims were "sickening". "I am not, and the people here are not racist, they're concerned. There’s a big difference."
Ms Smith suggested that the Government needed to urgently review policies regarding asylum seekers and ensure that self-deportation was no longer relied on as a means of dealing with those whose applications for International Protection are rejected.
"They [the Government] have to start listening to the people," she said.
Others involved in the protest have expressed frustration at the plan, given the pressures that the town’s infrastructure is already under.
They say that investment in essential facilities is needed and that the building in question is not suitable for housing 50 unemployed men of any nationality.
There are also concerns about a lack of prior engagement by Department officials in advance of the plan being made public.
Properties searched in connection with hotel fire in Galway
Meanwhile, a number of properties have been searched by gardaí in Co Galway as part of the ongoing investigation into an arson attack on a disused hotel near Oughterard last month.
Four locations in the Roscahill area were searched this morning, by members of the Divisional Crime Unit.
Gardaí said the operation was focused on gathering evidence in relation to the fire that caused significant damage to the Ross Lake House Hotel on 16 December.
A number of items have been seized and will be subject to further analysis.
No arrests were made during this morning's operation.
Detectives investigating the fire at the hotel say they have taken over 140 statements to date, as the effort to identify those responsible for starting the blaze continues.
It occurred on the weekend that a number of people staged a protest near the premises, to object to plans to house over 70 asylum seekers there.
Gardaí have reiterated an appeal for anybody with information that might assist the inquiry to come forward.
'Such behaviour is not acceptable'
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee strongly condemned recent arson attacks on accommodation centres.
In a statement this afternoon, Minister McEntee said that gardaí are liaising with International Protection Accommodation Services to "ensure effective policing plans are in place wherever there is an identified operational need".
She added that the gardaí are continually monitoring emerging threats, which includes monitoring social media.
"Ireland is a diverse and tolerant country, and such behaviour is not acceptable," she added.
Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne said the Government needed to explain to the public what the obligations are to those seeking international protection, and the facilities being made available.
Speaking on RTÉ's Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin programme, he said that there should be a public information campaign to explain the policy.
He added that there was a need to combat misinformation, saying that the idea that local authority housing is going to refugees or asylum seekers first before the general homeless population is untrue.
Additional reporting: Pat McGrath
