Calls for clarity as ‘misinformation flying everywhere’ on refugee housing

Westmeath County Council is to write again to the Department of Integration seeking urgent clarity on the movement of refugees and asylum seekers into the county.

The move follows renewed concerns about a lack of information, rising public anxiety, and infrastructure pressures.

The issue was raised at last week’s council meeting by Cllr Denis Leonard, who said the absence of basic data from the department was fuelling misinformation and public unrest.

“We have a whole lot of people arriving in the town to protest the last two weeks with misinformation flying everywhere,” he said.

“Nobody has the hard facts. No TDs have them. I said three years ago here that the council needs facts about who’s moving in, the numbers that are there, the make-up of those groups, so at least communities can deal with facts and they’re not dealing with misinformation and scaremongering.”

Cllr Leonard said he had submitted queries to multiple elected representatives and to the Department of Equality and Integration but had yet to receive any substantive reply.

He asked that the council write again to request confirmation of the number of IPAS residents in the county, advance notice of new arrivals, and consultation with the local authority to assess local capacity.

“I think we should write and demand that,” he said. “Councils need to be informed of movement of people into the county through the IPAS system.”

Cllr Leonard said the lack of transparency was damaging trust between government and local communities and making it harder for the council to plan for services.

The request was agreed without opposition, and the letter is expected to be sent in the coming days.