The Department of Justice refused an offer of free self-catering accommodation for residents in a Kerry direct provision centre, saying the offeror had no experience in caring for those seeking asylum.
This was revealed in correspondence sent to the department in May of this year in relation to the Skellig Star Accommodation Centre.
In December 2019, Remcoll Ltd secured a lease on the former Skellig Star hotel.
Jude Kirk, an accommodation owner, was one beneficiary of this deal, along with Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae, who says he’d no knowledge that hotel was going to be used as a direct provision centre.
The first cases of COVID-19 in the Skellig Star Accommodation Centre were reported in mid-April.
On the 13th May, Jude Kirk wrote to the department, offering eight homes 25km from the Skellig Star Accommodation Centre in Cahersiveen while a “better option is being sought for asylum seekers and their children.”
The department refused, saying it knows Mr Kirk was a 50% beneficiary of the deal that saw the hotel change hands and it doesn’t want to get involved in any issues between other parties.
It also said Mr Kirk has no first-hand knowledge or experience in the care of international protection applicants.
It added that Mr Kirk was, in effect, asking the department to close down the business Mr Kirk had sold to someone and transfer it to him – albeit free of charge – without addressing who will feed residents, transport them, what standard of care will be available and how sustainable it would be.
