The Department of Integration says it is still hoping to move asylum seekers into a hotel in Kilkenny soon.
KCLR has been reporting this week that the contracts signed to house people seeking international protection at the Kilkenny Inn were not with the actual owners.
In a statement to KCLR, the Department says it ‘is currently engaging contractors in relation to the accommodation and it is hoped that it will be brought on stream in the near future.’
KCLR understands that new owners may have taken over the hotel yesterday and Kilkenny Mayor David Fitzgerald says that could see the 120 asylum seekers arriving as soon as this weekend:
“I am unofficially told that there have been discussions with staff and management, that the hotel may well have actually changed hands since this announcement was made, and that there are significant discussions taking place on the ground to make way for the arrival of a large number of those who are seeking asylum and refuge here, and would be based here,” said Mayor Fitzgerald.
