Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman has been left in absolutely no doubt that Killarney is adamant that it has done more than its fair share when catering for international protection order applicants and refugees with local agencies again insisting that capacity has been surpassed and no more can be accommodated.
The minister held online Webex discussions with the Mayor of Killarney, Kerry’s five TDs and Kerry County Council Chief Executive, Moira Murrell, at which a frank exchange of views was heard over plans to move 70 male international protection applicants into a property on Muckross Road this week.
But despite concerns being voiced that public health services and education facilities were already over-stretched and the town could take no more, the minister didn’t back down and stressed that needs had to be met and he had no magic wand.
Minister O’Gorman conceded that he would talk with Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly and HSE officials in an effort to ease the burden on family doctors and other health services with the medical professionals in Killarney repeating earlier warnings that the system is beyond breaking point.
Mayor Brendan Cronin told the minister that GPs in the town confirmed months ago that they had reached capacity and could no longer accept new patients and schools and other centres providing English language classes and related services were full.
Cllr Cronin said he also informed Minister O’Gorman that the tourism industry is suffering and small businesses were coming under increasing pressure because bednights are being lost and day-to-day spending power is significantly reduced.
“I told him that Killarney can cater for thousands of people at any one time. We can feed them, entertain them and ensure they enjoy themselves but then they leave. The difference is that contracts for international protection applicants and refugees last for six or 12 months and that ties it all up,” the mayor told KillarneyToday.com.
He said Kerry had risen to the challenge of hosting those arriving who were in need and the voluntary and community groups have been terrific but it is very unfair to keep piling pressure on them.
“It shows a total lack of consideration and it cannot continue or total chaos will result,” the mayor warned.
Highlighting the pressure on the medical profession, he said he is aware of people who are living and working in Killarney, who have built their own houses and they still can’t get a GP. They have no option but to travel to other parts of the county to see a doctor.
Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, who also attended the online meeting, said locals are furious and he asked for a cap be put on the numbers.
“The people on the Muckross Road are outraged. There are families with young children, there are older people who are scared alive that there’s 70 men coming there.
“Put a cap on this now – we have done our share,” he said.
Deputy Brendan Griffin said what really needs to be considered is the impact the overall issue is having on the county and the extra pressure it will place on services.
Of the 70 men being transferred to Killarney he remarked: “We don’t know their circumstances. They may be very genuine or they may not be genuine – we just don’t know where they are coming from or what their scenarios are”.
Deputy Griffin, speaking on Radio Kerry, said what most people are concerned about is the sheer number that have arrived in the county over the past year or two.
“There has to be a point where we say we can’t actually take anymore. We’ve gone over and above as a relatively small county population wise.
“I’ve pointed this out previously to the minister – I think Kerry is seen as a soft target, an easy solution.
KillarneyToday.com revealed last week that Kerry County Council had written to Minister O’Gorman asking him to reconsider plans to accommodate 70 international protection applicants in the 22-bed Harmony Inn/Kingscourt Inn facility on Killarney’s Muckross Road – which is understood to be registered to a company in Galway – until such time as the necessary additional capacity for support services could be put in place.
Kerry already has six international protection centres and two emergency centres involving close on 800 applicants.
Latest CSO figures show that there are also 8,938 Ukrainians in Kerry which is nearly 10 per cent of the national total of 92,000 and the largest number of any local authority area in the country outside of Dublin.
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