30 More Tents Pitched Along Dublin's Grand Canal

An extra 30 tents have been pitched along the Grand Canal, Dublin.

These tents were pitched overnight, following the removal of over 100 tents from the banks yesterday, as part of a multi-agency operation involving the Departments of Integration and Justice, Dublin City Council, An Garda Síochána, Health Service Executive and Waterways Ireland was taking place. 

Asylum seekers had been relocated to other accommodation locations including Crooksling and the former Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. 

Barriers had been erected on either side of the canal to prevent tents from pitched in that area again. Despite this, an additional 30 tents were pitched along the canal overnight. There were also four further tents located further up the canal, heading away from the river. 

According to reports, 168 people have been removed from a section between Mount Street Bridge and the Huband Bridge area of the Grand Canal.

Speaking recently, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Pascal Donohoe has said that the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland this year, has exceeded 7,600.

"It is important to be open and honest about that and to put that in context again", the minister said. "We used to have about 3,000 people per year coming to Ireland looking for asylum, looking for refuge". 

"By the middle of May, that figure was at 7,667, so we saw by not even halfway through this year twice what we used to get in a year". 

Mr Donohoe added that people should not be living in tents and an alternative would be offered.

"In the short term, what we are doing in processing and emergency accommodation is necessary," he said. "We are going to have them in an alternative, but it is emergency accommodation while we are building up the state-owned and run beds".