Deputy Michael Lowry has welcomed the decision to pause the eviction of 96 former asylum seekers from their Borrisokane accommodation where they have lived since 2019. At that time a commitment was given to local people that the families moving into accommodation in the town would not be moved and replaced by newcomers.
Deputy Lowry is urging that the terms of the original agreement be honoured.
The families have been living in Borrisokane’s Riverside Centre and are well integrated into the local community. The local community had been given an assurance that only 16 families would be accommodated and that if the applicants were granted leave to remain in Ireland they would be afforded the option of remaining in the Riverside Centre if they wished to do so, with financial support from the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Alternatively, they would be permitted to negotiate a private rental agreement with the owners of the property. The TD is calling on the Government to remove the uncertainty from the situation now that the evictions have been paused following a local petition and intervention from local public representatives.
