The Taoiseach has said that gardaí were informed in writing that the Government was planning to establish an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in Co Galway.
Yesterday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said they were not told in advance and he called for better communication in order for gardaí to offer safety advice.
Leo Varadkar said today that Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman had confirmed that gardaí were informed but the Taoiseach added that "for whatever reason, the message did not get through".
He said it was important that gardaí are notified anytime there is a new accommodation centre being established and he said that next time they might have to adopt a "belt and braces" approach with an email, letter and a phone call.
The Garda Commissioner said at a meeting of the Policing Authority yesterday that gardaí had received no official notification about the plan to accommodate asylum seekers at a disused hotel in Galway which was subsequently burned out.
Mr Harris said they received their information about the arrival of asylum seekers from local sources and councillors.
He also said it was important that gardaí were informed of these developments because of their duty to protect life and property.
A fire broke out at the Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill on Saturday night.
The hotel was not used for a number of years and 70 asylum seekers were due to be accommodated there this week.
A criminal investigation into the fire is under way.
O'Gorman 'surprised' at claim gardaí were not told about asylum seeker plan
Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman said he was surprised at the claim gardai were not officially notified of the plan for the Ross Lake House Hotel.
Minister O’Gorman said a briefing proposal was emailed to the Garda on Friday afternoon.
Mr O’Gorman insisted that established protocols for informing the gardaí were followed.
He said that when any new international protection accommodation is opened a community engagement team takes responsibility for informing TDs, senators, councillors and statutory agencies, including the HSE, Tusla, a named contact in An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education.
"So a briefing on the proposal to open in the hotel in Galway was sent to An Garda Síochána on Friday afternoon," he said.
Asked if the process needed to be strengthened, he said: "Well, look, we’re always happy to look at a process and improve a process where that’s needed.
"This is the process we’ve been using now for about four months. The community engagement team started working at the end of August, early September.
"It is the process that supported the opening of a significant number of accommodation centres in that time.
"It was my understanding, certainly, that was the agreed protocol that operates.
"Now, obviously, as a situation evolves there may need to be further engagement but in terms of the protocol that was agreed, our officials carried it out as agreed.
"So I was surprised to see that communication (that gardaí weren’t informed) last night and this morning and, you know, we spent this morning just trying to clarify exactly what happens.
"And I know we’ve been engaging with the gardaí in terms of just confirming that the notification was provided."
