Former Integration minister Roderic O'Gorman has criticised the Government over what he feels is an attempt to "minimise" the migration problem.
Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman served as Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth from 2020 to 2025.
Migration was among his many responsibilities during that period. The Government has now created a new junior ministry, with Fine Gael TD Colm Brophy named Minister of State for Migration.
He will share responsibility for migration with Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, whose full title is 'Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration'.
In an interview with BreakingNews.ie, Mr O'Gorman said: "It struck me as if the Government, by minimising the role, they were going to minimise the problem that migration could cause this government. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.
"It's almost as if nothing has been learned by the last three years when we all know that migration, particularly providing accommodation for those in the international protection system, was such a significant political issue.
"I wish Minister O'Callaghan and particularly Minister Brophy well, I feel that Minister Brophy has been kind of dropped in the hot seat here in terms of being given the political responsibility for this issue but without the heft that being a senior minister gives to a politician.
"As challenging as I found migration as a senior minister, I could go directly to the various agencies whether it was the HSE or the OPW when there were issues. I could challenge other government departments, whether it was the Department of Housing or the Department of Justice, I could challenge them directly at Cabinet meetings or in Cabinet subcommittees.
"Having that access, particularly access to the Taoiseach, is really important."
Mr O'Gorman also said there is a lack of planning on accommodation for international protection applicants in the programme for government.
"I set out a system from March of last year looking to move on to State-owned accommodation, there is one line in the entire new programme for government about accommodation for international protection applicants. It just says 'We will use fewer hotels and more State-owned land'.
"That's it. It doesn't go into any sort of detail, it doesn't seek to address the barriers that have been faced over the last six months in trying to make State land available... no thought seems to have been given to it."
Mr O'Gorman described the lack of reference to Ukrainians living in Ireland in the document as "shocking".
"There are still 65,000 Ukrainians in the State, about 35,000 of those are in private accommodation supported by the accommodation recognition payment.
"Another 30,000 in directly provided State-owned accommodation. That is 65,000 people and no word about them in the programme for government.
"There is a deadline coming up in March on the recognition payment and the Government has been absolutely silent about what it is going to do about that; is it going to renew it? Is it going to change the rate at which it is being paid?"
He added: "On these two issues on international protection accommodation, one line, and on Ukrainians, nothing at all. Again, this effort to not talk about this issue and hope it will go away, well... as the new ministers will soon find, it's not going anywhere.
"Every European country is seeing heightened levels of migration now. The level of wars across north Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine.
"Climate change is forcing people to migrate because their homes are becoming uninhabitable due to changed weather conditions; we're going to see tens of thousands of people make that crazy journey in little dinghies across the Mediterranean every year, people are that desperate to risk the huge threat of death on the Mediterranean, but they see that as their only hope.
"We're going to experience more migration in every European country including Ireland. We need to be putting in place the infrastructure where we can process people's applications, if they meet the criteria for international protection grant them quickly, if they don't meet it they will have to be asked to leave and if not subsequently deported, and to ensure there is decent accommodation for them when they are going through that process."
He pointed to dedicated migration bodies that are in place in other EU countries.
Mr O'Gorman said the Green Party's manifesto included plans for a migration agency, "but the Government are, I feel, trying to avoid these difficult questions".
Last year, asylum seekers staying in tents were cleared from an encampment outside the International Protection Office on Dublin's Mount Street.
Many of these people set up tents along Dublin's Grand Canal, and the government was heavily criticised after putting up barriers to force them to move on again.
Mr O'Gorman said the State is likely to be "caught out again in terms of people sleeping rough" without planning for how State-owned land can be used for international protection applicants.
"Right now with the numbers arriving, the State is just about able to manage, even though there is a group of people who haven't been offered accommodation.
"If there is any sort of an increase, if something in Gaza changes and people start leaving, if there's an upsurge in violence in Afghanistan, things are looking a little better in Syria but if that situation deteriorates, there will be increased movement of people across Europe and we'll experience that.
"It's in that situation where, without putting in place detailed plans and planning how State-owned land will be used, the State will be caught out again in terms of people sleeping rough."
He also expressed concern over the Regional Independent TDs supporting the Government, and their stance on migration.
"There are some people in government or supporting government who have been vocally opposed to international protection accommodation in their area.
"They won't be able to do that anymore because when you're part of government you have to accept decisions and work to implement them and I think that will be a challenge for some of those Regional Independents."
