Mayo TD says Government move to exempt new IPAS centres from planning laws is ‘an affront to local democracy’
Following reports that the Department of Justice is advancing legislation to exempt seven International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centres from planning laws, a Mayo TD has described the move as an “affront to local democracy.”
The Irish Mail on Sunday reported last week that the department is preparing proposals that would see the centres to be constructed without allowing for public objections.
Deputy Paul Lawless criticised the move by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, saying it is undemocratic and undermines transparency in planning.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Deputy Lawless said the Government plans to bypass the standard process for seven proposed large-scale asylum accommodation centres.
He said the legislation “flies in the face of everything that Government representatives in Mayo and right across the country” stand for.
Currently, members of the public can raise objections to developments in their area through the usual planning system.
However, Deputy Lawless said the proposed legislation would remove that right for these centres.
As the Government seeks to move away from using private asylum accommodation in hotels, pubs and other buildings converted under temporary planning exemptions, opposition parties have said those exemptions should now be removed.
They say that if the State is moving towards developing its own long‑term, purpose‑built accommodation centres, then the normal planning process must apply.
In February 2026, Sinn Féin TDs Eoin Ó Broin and Matt Carthy brought forward the ‘Repeal of Exempted Development Regulations Bill 2026’, which aims to end the planning exemption for new IPAS centres. It is currently at the second stage in Dáil Éireann.
Deputy Lawless said his party is also seeking an end to the current exemptions, which he said have “allowed the proliferation of IPAS centres in communities across the country.”
He added that having previously raised concerns about planning circumventions, both the “Taoiseach and Tánaiste have always implied in their responses to me that they're seeking to lift that circumvention”.
“However, the leaked documents from the department suggest they are seeking to make this permanent. This is very concerning,” he said.
Deputy Lawless said that the plans to grant planning exemptions would be "fundamentally wrong and fundamentally unjust". Photo: Stock Image.
Deputy Lawless said Government TDs have often spoken with residents in Mayo, including in Knock and Ballina, who are concerned about centres being developed without any ability to submit objections.
He said those TDs have often agreed that the system needs to change and that a proper planning process should apply to such developments.
“This [legislation] is at odds with everything the Government is saying. They are going in the complete opposite direction to the public views and comments of senior Government officials,” he said.
He said the focus now needs to shift to addressing structural issues within the planning system and reforming it.
Deputy Lawless pointed to the demolition of a five‑bedroom home in Meath, which was knocked down last month after being built 20 years ago without planning permission.
“The state has spent tens of thousands of euros demolishing a perfectly good home in County Meath during a housing crisis.
“They did that on the basis there was no planning permission. Now we see the Government seeking to introduce laws that would bypass [planning laws],” he said. “It is fundamentally wrong and fundamentally unjust.”
The Irish Mail on Sunday reported that the documents named three of the seven sites: Thornton Hall in Fingal, Crooksling in West Dublin and the Midlands Accommodation Centre in Athlone, and that legislation would grant planning exemptions for modular accommodation at these locations.
“We live in a participatory democracy, and engaging in the planning process is a cornerstone of that. All citizens and all projects should go through the planning process,” Deputy Lawless said.
He referenced major infrastructure projects, including the Galway Ring Road and the flood relief scheme in Midleton, noting that such developments, which have been in the system for many years, would not be exempt from planning laws.
“The system must be democratic. People have a right to object, and a right to know about developments in their area,” he said.
He said the system does need to be reformed to ensure key infrastructure projects are not delayed for years, but argued that bypassing it entirely is not the answer.
He added that measures such as increasing staffing levels within local authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála would help reduce delays.
Deputy Lawless plans to introduce a bill in the Dáil in the coming weeks aimed at reinstating planning requirements for IPAS centres, adding that his party has submitted a series of parliamentary questions to obtain further details on the documents referring to the seven new centres.
He said Government representatives have consistently reassured Mayo communities they would be consulted if an IPAS centre was planned for their area.
“We are learning here the Government is moving in the opposite direction to that,” he added.
Deputy Lawless said the Department of Justice’s plans show a clear departure from the commitments Government TDs have made to communities in Mayo.
“I am calling on all Government TDs to stand up for local communities, not when the proposal is happening, not when it is too late, not when diggers are on site, but now.
“Allow people the opportunity to engage and have a say in relation to their community. Any other proposal will lead to further division on this very divisive topic.
“Aontú does not believe the answer to this crisis is to strip communities of their planning rights, the answer is to fix the structure of failures in the system,” he concluded.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.