asked the Minister for Defence if the Government has any contingency plans to cater for possible requests from citizens of the Six County area for refuge and accommodation during the period of the 12th July celebrations.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Northern Refugee Accommodation.
53.
I am satisfied that, should the need arise at any time, persons from the Six-County area seeking refuge here will be adequately catered for. Arrangements have, at my request, been made by all local authorities in the country to meet any future refugee emergency, using their Civil Defence services. In any such situation regional health boards will co-operate with local authorities.
Can the Minister assure the House that the situation which arose the last time when a demand was made on these services will not be repeated? The services were found at that time to be inadequate. Can the Minister assure the House that the type and amount of accommodation has been increased considerably?
I would not agree that the services available on the last occasion were inadequate. They were adequate to cope with the situation on hand. It must be understood that the Defence Forces had more than 5,000 refugees to deal with, which they did in a most admirable way with the cooperation of the local authorities, the Irish Red Cross Society and others.