The Department of Justice has responded to claims of food rationing and inadequate information on water quality at a Kerry direct provision centre.
32 residents in the Skellig Star Accommodation Centre in Cahersiveen are on hunger strike for a second day, as they have escalated their demands to be moved from Cahersiveen to other accommodation.
The Minister for Education, Fianna Fáil TD Norma Foley, has met with both Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee on the issue.
Minister Foley says the health, welfare and care of the residents of the Skellig Star must be the sole priority, and she’ll continue to work on the issue.
Department of Justice officials visited Cahersiveen yesterday, as 32 of the 41 remaining residents in the former Skellig Star Hotel began their hunger strike.
One resident Trish claimed food was rationed and that management did not tell them about a boil water notice in the town until a number of days after it had been imposed.
The department says officials sent to Cahersiveen have been tasked with examining issues around provision of meals and any issues arising following the boil water notice currently in place in the town.
It says any outstanding issues will be followed up for resolution as a matter of priority.
Officials who visited the centre yesterday sampled the food to satisfy themselves as to the standard on offer.
The department says it's concerned any resident would put their health in danger by refusing food.
Deputy Danny Healy-Rae says the community is outraged at how appallingly the residents have been treated.
He wants the centre to be closed down.
Cllr Michael Cahill also wants the centre closed.
Kerry Green Party representative Cleo Murphy says opening the centre was a bad decision made at a bad time; she claims the building is wrong, the location is wrong and the department should move the remaining residents to centres at Mosney and Tullamore, where they would be less isolated.
