Latest news with #JimO'Callaghan
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Government plans for €35,000 fees cap to halt High Court delays to building projects
The Government wants to cap legal fees that can be claimed from the State in environmental planning cases, in a bid to discourage High Court actions against infrastructure and housing projects. Ministers have been taking advice on the measures from Attorney General Rossa Fanning this week. This is being done in the hope of stemming the tide of legal actions that have held up schemes relating to wastewater, roads and housing. The move reflects growing anxiety in the Coalition about the need to boost the State's basic infrastructure, as concerns grow about housing delivery being hindered by constraints in electricity and water networks. One option under discussion is to impose a limit of about €35,000 on legal costs that litigants can claim from the State if they succeed in a judicial review challenge against a planning decision. READ MORE Such moves would apply to High Court cases taken under the Aarhus Convention, an international agreement that governs access to justice in environmental matters. Minister for the Environment Darragh O'Brien is required, under new planning legislation, to 'prescribe monetary amounts' for costs in Aarhus proceedings, after consulting with Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers. On this question, the law requires ministers to take into account 'the need to ensure that court and judicial resources are utilised for the common good and in the interests of justice'. They must also consider 'the cost to the Exchequer'. Such measures are included in the Planning and Development Act of 2024, an extensive body of law to overhaul and speed up the planning process. The act is one of the biggest pieces of legislation in the State's history. Minister for Housing James Browne is commencing the law in phases, with measures taking force this week to establish An Coimisiún Pleanála in succession to An Bord Pleanála. The new commission is chaired by Paul Reid , former chief executive of the Health Service Executive. Despite the worsening housing crisis, thousands of new homes in certain parts of the Dublin region have been delayed because they cannot access electricity . Uisce Éireann has separately warned it will have no capacity for new housing connections within three years if a new north Dublin wastewater plant does not proceed. Permission for the plant was struck down by the High Court five years ago. A cap in the region of €35,000 has yet to be settled and people involved in the talks stressed the debate was still open. 'There's a scheme being developed under the legislation but it hasn't been finalised,' said one figure with knowledge of the talks. Asked for comment on the prospect of a €35,000 cap, Mr O'Brien's spokeswoman said: 'Proposals are currently being developed and will be assessed. No decision has been made at this stage.' People familiar with the proposal believe it is likely to provoke resistance from environmental campaigners. Any move to impose a cap would drastically reduce lawyers' earning potential in judicial review cases taken on environmental grounds. Legal sources say successful litigants often rack up legal fees of hundreds of thousands of euro in cases taken on a 'no foal no fee' basis by lawyers, where litigants incur no fees if they lose.
RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
What do State spending figures on refugee and asylum accommodation tell us?
The State spent more than €401 million on accommodation for International Protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees in the first three months of this year. That's according to new figures released by the former Department of Integration detailing its spending for the first quarter of 2025. It's an eye-watering amount of money but it is down on last year's quarterly spends on such accommodation, which ranged from €424m to €490m. Paying for private sector accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers made up 97% of the Department's purchase order spends of €20,000 or more detailed in the report. While hundreds of providers are in receipt of Government payments, 91 were paid more than €1m in the first quarter of this year, and together the top five brought in €52.5m. The Government has said it wants to move away from its reliance on the private and commercial sector when it comes to accommodating refugees and asylum seekers. To this end, the Minister for Justice announced this week that the Cabinet had signed off on his plan to buy Citywest, a campus that has been central to its International Protection and Ukrainian refugee accommodation provision over the last number of years. Jim O'Callaghan announced that the State would buy the hotel and convention centre for the sum of €148.2m, describing it as "value for money". Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited operates Citywest and over the last couple of years it was the State's top earner when it came to these accommodation contracts. Last year it secured €70.86m in accommodation payments from the State, and it was at the top of the table once more in the first quarter of this year, getting paid €18.7m - almost double what the next best paid accommodation provider received. Mr O'Callaghan said that "purchasing Citywest makes prudent financial sense for the State compared to costs of leasing the site" however it appears that there will still be some invoices forthcoming even after the sale. According to the Department of Justice there will be a "a transition plan with the current service provider for a period of 12 months to ensure there is no disruption to the accommodation services at the site." A statement added that "the service provider will continue to oversee the management and provision of services including catering, cleaning, maintenance and security, resident check-in, operational support, finance and other services." The Department of Integration's quarterly purchase order report sheds some light on the current spend on additional Citywest expenses paid in January, February and March this year, including over €709,000 on security and €580,000 on meals. In total, in the first quarter of this year the State spent over €267m on accommodation and related costs for International Protection applicants and almost €133m for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. Separately the Department also spent almost €1.7m on modular accommodation for International Protection applicants in the first quarter of 2025. These figures are all inclusive of VAT. After Citywest operator Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited, Mosney Holidays PLC, was the next best paid accommodation provider in the first three months of 2025. It was paid €9.7m for providing international protection accommodation at the former holiday resort in Co Meath. The third highest paid provider was Holiday Inn Dublin Airport, which was paid €8.5m. Over January, February and March, the report shows Travelodge Hotels, operated by Smorgs ROI Management Limited, were paid over €8m. However, in this period there were also payments amounting to €3.6m made directly to Tifco Ltd which runs Travelodge Hotels among others, and of almost €1.85m made to Pumkinspice Ltd, which also operates a Travelodge Hotel in Dublin City Centre. Rounding out the top five earners in the first quarter of 2025, East Coast Catering, which owns a number of hotels, was paid almost €7.5m. Last year saw a record number of people seeking Protection in Ireland, 18,561. However fewer asylum seekers are doing so this year. Last year 9,199 people had sought asylum in Ireland by 31 May, compared to 5,037 in the same period this year. But there's no denying that there a real demand for accommodation for asylum seekers. As of the 4 May this year there were 32,934 people, including 9,442 children, living in International Protection accommodation. For more than two years now most male asylum seekers who seek international protection in Ireland are not offered accommodation on arrival, with the Government citing an ongoing accommodation shortage. As of Monday, the Department of Justice said there were 2,987 asylum seekers awaiting an offer of accommodation by the State. Meanwhile, the number of Ukrainian refugees in State provided accommodation is down significantly from its peak of almost 60,000 at the end of 2023. Since then, the State has limited free accommodation provision for new arrivals to three months and has cut supports for those in hotel style accommodation. As of 1 June, there were 23,599 Ukrainian refugees in State provided accommodation.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Govt agrees €148m purchase of Citywest Hotel and campus
Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan has said Cabinet has approved plans to proceed with the purchase of the Citywest Hotel and campus in Dublin for €148.2m. The State has been leasing the property since 2020 when it was used as a Covid vaccination site. Since 2022, it was used to house those in need of temporary protection and more recently for international protection applicants. Speaking at Government Buildings, Minister O'Callaghan said: "It really does represent value for money in terms of the amount of money we're spending on the private commercial sector as opposed to the savings that can be achieved if we own our own accommodation." Minister O'Callaghan said €148.2 million purchase price would result in significant savings over time. "It's going to be far cheaper in the long-term in terms of owning it as opposed to the cost we're paying at present per person in the accommodation." In a statement, the Department of Justice said the purchase of the facility was part of a "long-term strategy to developing a sustainable accommodation system", and that the "site will deliver significant long-term savings to the State as its moves from licencing to ownership". The Department also said securing the site in State ownership would "enable Ireland to meet requirements under the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum". Protest by residents Asked about protests outside Leinister House last week by residents opposing the purchase, Minister of State Colm Brophy said "we are not changing over all what is happening in Citywest at the moment in terms of numbers and Citywest has actually been working very effectively in terms of having an IPAS centre there and Ukrainians also". He said the campus has offered a range of services effectively for several years. Minister Brophy said that by owning Citywest "we can save effectively 50% of the operating costs". Minister O'Callaghan said, in terms of the programme for Government, the plan is to own 14,000 accommodation units for those seeking international protection.
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Government to buy Citywest Hotel for €148.2 million
The Government has signed off on a €148.2 million deal to acquire the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre in west Dublin, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan has announced. The facility, currently being used as a reception centre for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees, will be converted into a permanent State-owned screening centre for processing international protection applications. Mr O'Callaghan said the move is a more cost-effective long-term solution than continuing to lease facilities from private providers. 'Over a period of four years, we believe we'd be in the position where we would have got our money back in terms of the investment,' he said. Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan. Pic: Leah Farrell/ 'Over a longer period of time, if you compare what we're spending in the private sector from the amount of money we'll be spending in terms of a state owned entity, over a period of about 25 years, we'll be looking at a saving of 1.25 billion (euro).' He added that the purchase supports the Government's programme commitment to secure 14,000 accommodation units for people seeking asylum. 'It would be far cheaper to own the facility in west Dublin instead of paying private providers for the services and accommodation,' he explained. 'It will be used as a screening centre where applications for asylum will be processed.' Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin While the Citywest facility will continue operating in its current capacity, O'Callaghan confirmed there are no immediate plans to expand its accommodation capacity. 'There are no 'immediate' plans to expand the number of places at Citywest,' he said. The announcement has sparked concern among local residents. Protesters from Saggart gathered outside Leinster House last week to oppose the purchase, citing fears over the loss of public access to the hotel complex and increased strain on local services. Minister of State Colm Brophy addressed the concerns, saying engagement with local representatives would be prioritised to ensure transparency and communication with the community. 'Very importantly, the purchase of Citywest will not result in any immediate increase in numbers,' he said. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin 'The plan with Citywest is very simply, to develop the asset and make sure that we have the ability, particularly under the Migration Pact, to have a state-of-the-art processing facility whereby people's applications can be cleared within 13 weeks from when they arrive in the country.' Brophy said the decision was made on a strong financial rationale. 'The decision was being made on a 'value for money' basis and that if it is directly owned by the State, it can save around 50% of the operating costs.' He also defended the centre's current operation. 'Citywest has actually been working very effectively in terms of having an Ipas centre there, having Ukrainians also present, and having a range of services and facilities which have been working effectively and successfully for many, many years. 'We are not planning on changing those numbers.'
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Govt green light €148.2m purchase of Dublin hotel & campus to house asylum seekers despite local's anger at move
THE Government has approved the purchase of the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre for €148.2 million, the Justice Minister has said. Advertisement 2 Jim O'Callaghan said the move is 'value for money' in the long term Credit: PA He said it would be used as a screening centre where applications for Minister O'Callaghan added it was in line with the commitment in the programme for He said there are no 'immediate' plans to expand the number of places at Citywest, which is currently being used as a reception centre for asylum seekers and The Fianna Fail TD said: 'Over a period of four years, we believe we'd be in the position where we would have got our money back in terms of the investment. Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS 'Over a longer period of time, if you compare what we're spending in the private sector from the amount of Locals from Saggart protested outside They raised concerns about losing the amenity of the hotel complex and about demand for services. Minister of State Colm Brophy said that local representatives would be engaged with so that the local community is informed. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun He said the decision was being made on a 'value for money' basis and that if it is directly owned by the State, it can save around 50 per cent of the operating costs. He said: 'Very importantly, the purchase of Citywest will not result in any immediate increase in numbers. Stark pictures show migrant 'tent city' weaving through roads outside Dublin asylum processing centre 'The plan with Citywest is very simply to develop the asset and make sure that we have the ability, particularly under the Migration Pact, to have a state-of-the-art processing facility whereby people's applications can be cleared within 13 weeks from when they arrive in the country.' He added: 'Citywest has actually been working very effectively in terms of having an Ipas centre there, having Ukrainians also present, and having a range of services and facilities which have been working effectively and successfully for many, many years. Advertisement 'We are not planning on changing those numbers.' 2 The purchase of the Citywest Hotel for €148.2million has been approved Credit:
