Minister David Stanton told Miriam O'Callaghan that the reason locals are not consulted until asylum seekers are about to moved into a town is that telling them would break confidentiality before a contract is signed. Miriam didn't ask how renovations are able to be carried out on a hotel to prepare it for asylum seekers if no contract has been signed. Stanton has been blasted on a number of times for failing to consult with communities over asylum seekers being moved into their towns. In Moville, locals found out on a Friday evening that one of their hotels would would be used to accommodate asylum seekers and consequently nobody in the government could be reached until the following Monday and even councillors had been left in the dark. This caused panic in the town.
However, Shannonside broadcaster Joe Finnegan told listeners that Stanton has stated to him that the lack of consultation with locals when asylum seekers are being moved into a town or village was government policy as if they informed people, there would be protest and "nothing would happen".
"If I'm not mistaken, a couple of months back on this show, the Minister for responsibility for this area, David Stanton, made it quite clear that that is official government policy — If they're to inform people of their plans in relation to the setting up of these emergency accommodation centres or in some cases Direct Provision centres, well sure people would be out in the streets and nothing would ever happen.”
Broadcast: Primetime | RTÉ One | 12 Sep 2019
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