National News In Brief

EU research reports reveals “worrying patterns of racism”.

A research report entitled “Being Black in the EU” has revealed the racism that black people face in the EU. 6,000 migrants were surveyed across 12 member states with a sizeable portion from Ireland. Michael O’Flaherty, head of the Fundamental Rights Agency said that this report reveals “worrying patterns of racism” and that “Ireland is one of the countries that come out worse, frankly.”

17% said they have suffered discrimination at work due to their background compared to less than one in ten on average. In Ireland, 38% have been harassed while the overall figure was a quarter. 8% have suffered racist violence in Ireland in contrast to only 3% across the European Union.

Two-thirds of migrants in Ireland feel like they can complain if they are badly treated compared to 38% who feel like they can do so across the EU. 71% said that they are treated with respect by the police here in Ireland as opposed to the EU average of 59%.

Mr. O’Flaherty adds “Our figures demonstrate that Ireland has a problem with racism. People who should talk about these issues should be talking about them more.” “We are not dealing with some abstract problem, we’re dealing with something that’s blighting the lives of people living next door to us.”

Dublin City Councillors vote to limit hotel construction despite warnings of “shortfall” of 1,100 rooms

Councillors voted in favour of the motion to change city development plans to limit the building of more hotels despite concerns that Dublin is still short of 1,000 beds.

Councillors will also review the plan to put forward any changes that “urgently protect and promote nightlife and creative culture in Dublin”. They have also unanimously agreed to reassess any council land unsuitable for social house for use as a cultural space rather than putting it for sale. However, city planner John O’Hara warns that restricting hotel construction could lead to legal trouble for the council. He said: “Any talk of a ban or curtailment without evidence runs the risk of legal challenge,”

According to a spokeswoman from Fáilte Ireland, demand for hotel rooms is exceeding supply. Despite the construction occuring in the city, she expects there will be a “shortfall of 1,100 rooms.” The lack of hotel beds will also affect the rest of the country because if a tourist “cannot access Dublin, it is highly likely they may not visit the country at all.”

This council meeting follows the planned closure of the Bernard Shaw pub and venue in Portobello and the council’s decision to sell the land near the venue to developers.

Homelessness rises to 10,338 according to latest figures

Official figures from the Homeless Quarterly Progress, released by the Department of Housing, has revealed that at 10,338 people are in emergency accommodation.

This involves 6,490 adults and 3,848 children. Overall, 1,726 families were affected by homelessness in the month of August.

This is a modest increase from 10, 275 in July. Children afflicted with homelessness has risen by more than 100 in July and has increased once again in August. The number of homeless children has risen to a quarter in the last two years. According to the children’s charity Barnados, 170 children have been rendered homeless since the end of the last school year.

The latest numbers show that homelessness is highly concentrated in Dublin with 4,312 in need of emergency accommodation. Cork is second at 583, followed by Galway at 311 and Limerick at 255.

The Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy has stated that: “As housing minister, it is my responsibility to secure a budget that will see more homes being built. We will have a budget that will ensure when our teams go out on the street, they can help people. That’s what the housing budget is going to be about.”