Child safeguarding, communication breakdowns, and the future of the Corralea Court building took centre stage at the November Plenary Meeting of the Tuam Municipal District on Tuesday, November 11. Councillors voiced growing frustration at what they described as insufficient clarity from Government departments regarding the operation of the IPAS accommodation centre in the former hotel.
Cllr Shaun Cunniffe said councillors had been “very adamant” in seeking detailed information from the Department on child safeguarding arrangements, adding that assurances given earlier in the year had not been followed through. “We wanted to know exactly what the child safeguarding arrangements were. We were promised detail on that, and it still hasn’t come,” he said. “We did our duty. We weren’t sure what was happening. There are kids involved, but the information didn’t come back. It’s poor.”
Cllr Andrew Reddington supported those concerns, noting the issue had been “playing on his mind” in recent weeks.
Director of Services Michael Owens explained that Galway County Council has no role in the day-to-day operation of the centre, which lies “directly between the property owner and the Department.” He said the integration team continues to engage with residents and agencies but reiterated that operational control does not rest with the Council.
Cllr Cunniffe pressed further, questioning turnover of residents as asylum applications progress and expressing renewed frustration at the long-delayed future of the building. “There has to be some part of a Government plan… the town needs the hotel back,” he said.
Cllr Donagh Killilea described the lack of safeguarding clarity as “very disappointing,” recalling ongoing concerns: “Eight months ago or so we spoke about this. Four years ago we spoke about when Ukrainian residents were there. I just think it’s not good enough, and we shouldn’t accept the answer that it is not our responsibility.”
Referencing recent high-profile local cases, he added: “Anyone who has read the newspapers in recent weeks knows the predators that operate in this town and beyond. No matter where children are, in the protection of the State or their own parents, we should be doing anything we can to protect them.”
Cllr Karey McHugh-Farag also stressed the collective responsibility of elected representatives. “People see us as local leaders,” she said. “We should be using our channels of communication to lean on those in positions who can make a difference, that children are safeguarded to the utmost.”
She warned against repeating past failures: “We don’t want to look back in the future and see a situation where safeguarding was neglected and questions are asked when action should have been taken now. Children cannot be put in vulnerable or dangerous positions, we simply must learn from the mistakes of the State’s past.”
