The Taoiseach yesterday hinted that Thornton Hall in Dublin will provide “badly needed capacity” for asylum seeker accommodation.

The site in North County Dublin, which was once earmarked as the location of a new super prison, is set to accommodate up to 1,000 international protection applicants.

Simon Harris was questioned after 31 tents were pitched along the Grand Canal in Dublin by asylum seekers.

The new encampment is located between Mount Street Bridge and Huband Bridge, less than 400 metres from the International Protection Office on Mount Street.

Similar tents have previously been removed from the area, with metal barriers placed along both canal banks to prevent more tents from being set up.

Some of the new tents have been erected inside the fencing, which was installed by Waterways Ireland at a cost of €30,000 per week.

The Taoiseach Simon Harris in the Courtyard at Government Buildings, 07-08-2024. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Mr Harris said yesterday that “in relation to the canal, or any tented situation that is unauthorised, what we do is interact and engage with these people and try and move them on to better, safer accommodation in as short of a time as possible”.

He also said that the Government’s approach “is to use State-owned land to provide more accommodation” adding that he can “point to sites to where this is happening right now”.

One of the locations that he is talking about is Thornton Hall.

Last week it was confirmed that an initial group of 40 international protection applicants are due to be accommodated in tents on the site next month, with this figure rising to 440 on a phased basis during October and November.

Gardaí secure Thornton Hall in north county Dublin as contractors convert the site into accommodation for international protection applicants, 15-08-2024. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

The site is being prepared to eventually house up to 1,000 single men – but I would have no hesitation betting that the site will not be ready for that number of people by the end of the year.

These proposed sites are never ready on time. Does anyone remember the modular homes for Ukrainian refugees that were to be ready by last Summer?

Asylum seeker accommodation

Regardless of that, will the site end the Government's immigration woes?

Of course it won’t; you just have to look at the number of asylum seekers who have arrived in Ireland to date this year.

Up to August 19th, there have been 13,463 applications for international protection in Ireland, according to the Department of Justice.

That means that, on average, over 400 asylum seekers have arrived here per week in 2024.

Therefore, Thornton Hall, if it does eventually accommodate 1,000 asylum seekers, will only have the capacity to house the equivalent of two-and-a-half weeks’ worth of 2024’s arrivals.

In other words, the North Dublin site won’t actually provide “badly needed capacity”.

In fact, to house the number of asylum seekers that arrived in Ireland between the start of the year and August 19th, the Government would need 13 Thornton Halls.

As of yesterday, there were over 2,500 asylum seekers currently without State-provided accommodation in Ireland – a 600% increase on the same period last year.

Unsustainable

As I’ve said many times before, with the number of people applying for international protection, continually trying to source accommodation is unsustainable.

The number of asylum seekers arriving here is only going one way – up.

Asylum seekers sleeping in tents on the streets will continue and protests about the location of accommodation centres will continue unless the Government starts to properly deal with immigration.

The Taoiseach Simon Harris also said yesterday that “what we are trying to do here is our very best” when it comes to dealing with international protection.

If this is the Government doing their very best, I’d hate to see what their very worst looks like.