60 Syrian refugees have been resettled so far in Leitrim as part of the government’s Irish Refugee Protection Programme.

New figures from the Department of Justice show that no Syrian refugees have so far been accommodated in Longford, almost a year after the Council was informed it would be accommodating displaced families.

Last August, Longford County Council was informed that it was to provide accommodation for up to ten Syrian families in the county as part of Ireland’s commitment to home refugees from Syrian and the Middle East fleeing war.

It was initially thought that they would arrive in the first quarter of this year and in February the Council tendered for the provision of accommodation for the refugees.

According to the Minister for Justice, 60 Syrian refugees was the agreed initial allocation for County Longford, but so far none have been settled in the county.

In Roscommon 90 refugees was the agreed initial allocation, and so far, just five have been resettled.

In Leitrim, the County Council has actually resettled 10 more people than initially agreed by the local authority, with 60 individuals now living in the county.

Two resettlements workers are currently employed in Leitrim to provide assistance to those who are making new lives in the county, but this does not include any intercultural support workers, while just one resettlement worker is employed in Roscommon, and none yet in Longford.