I thank the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for being present to respond to this matter at what I know is some inconvenience to him. I am grateful for that because it will be reassuring to the people of Wexford to hear the answer, if he will forgive me for saying it, from the horse's mouth on this difficult issue.
The Minister knows that the Devereux Hotel in Rosslare Harbour was acquired by his Department to be used as a reception centre for asylum seekers. He also knows that, once that announcement was made as one of a number of acquisitions throughout the country, it provoked considerable controversy locally and was met by some local hostility. Members of the public picketed the hotel and prevented it from being used as a reception centre. That picket has been ongoing from the time of the announcement to date.
The hotel has been bought and paid for by the State at a considerable cost, yet it has remained idle because of the opposition. It is essential that the State has proper facilities to deal with significant numbers of applicants for asylum which we now receive and that it does so in a fair and humane way. I am also conscious, coming from Wexford, of the burden placed on facilities in the Wexford area because of the number of asylum seekers accessing the State through the port of Rosslare Harbour.
All the Oireachtas Members in Wexford had been involved in efforts to resolve this difficult problem. However, I understand there have been separate negotiations involving the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, who is also a TD for Wexford, and the asylum division of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform bilaterlally negotiating a settlement with those involved in the protest. I and other public representatives of the area have not been involved in these recent negotiations. I regret the uniform approach of the Oireachtas Members has not been followed.
However, I understand that, as a result of these negotiations, a deadline was set for the opening of the hotel as a reception centre by Friday of last week, or at least there was agreement to an opening date by last Friday. As I understand it, the proposal is that the hotel would be used for a period of 18 months and would then be sold on the open market as a tourism facility, that it would be used only as a reception centre and not as permanent accommodation for asylum seekers and that it would only be used for short-term stays by those arriving through the port of Rosslare. I further understand that people involved in the protest have been told that, if they do not agree to these proposals, the Devereux Hotel will be handed over to the Prison Service for use as some sort of halfway house for offenders.
This saga has continued for many months. It has caused division and disquiet in Rosslare Harbour and further afield in County Wexford. There seems to be an inordinate delay in finalising the Department's intention for this facility. As the Minister will appreciate, in the interregnum, rumours of all kinds have grown legs in the local community. After holding silence on it for a very long time, I have raised this matter to hear directly from the Minister what will now be done. Is my understanding of the position which I have put before the House accurate? What is the intention of the Minister and his Department for the Devereaux Hotel? The people of Wexford deserve no less than a clear and comprehensive response.
