Laois Offaly TD claims 'anger' growing over immigration

A sense of welcome and understanding is rapidly turning into frustration and anger when it comes to the way in which Government is handling immigration issues, according to Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan.

Deputy Nolan said that communities from around the country are contacting her Dáil office to express their disbelief at the manner in which Government is seeking to impose extraordinary numbers of asylum applicants and beneficiaries of temporary protection on very small communities and on towns that already accommodate substantial numbers of applicants.

“From the day I challenged Minister Darragh O’Brien on this issue in the Dáil last June my office has been receiving calls and emails that are increasingly characterised by a sense of deep alarm and outright fear in some cases.” Said Deputy Nolan.

“I raised this matter again only last week during the Dáil debate on housing when I warned Government that that at some point, we are going to have address the elephant in the room, namely, the dire impact of essentially unlimited immigration on housing and emergency accommodation stock.”

“There is a sense that Government is finally waking up to the reality of what I have been continuously saying on this point, but for many communities and indeed for hundreds, if not thousands of local businesses it is too late; this is particularly true with respect to downstream tourism and hospitality businesses.”

“Business people, and ordinary people throughout the country are saying to me what they fear saying in public; that Government has made an enormous miscalculation about what is feasible for a country of our size to handle, especially in the middle of an housing and health and education crisis.”

“It is also absolutely ironic that last June Minister O’Brien accused me wanting to draw a distinction between different groups who come here when that is now precisely what Government intend to do in terms of reducing welfare payments for new Ukrainian applicants.”

“Government must listen because this issue is fast approaching boiling point with a silent majority that are sick and tired of having their feelings on these issues dismissed as fringe concerns,” concluded Deputy Nolan.