Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
53. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in terms of resources to accommodate and provide related support, what plans does his Department have in place to manage the increased flow of Ukrainian refugees and other international protection applicants over the coming winter months. [48375/23]
View answerThe Ceann Comhairle caught me by surprise. It is the same question again. I ask the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, what plans he has in place to manage the increased flow of Ukrainian refugees. He said that a message will go out to Ukrainian communities across Europe but I am asking what that message is. What are we now saying? Is the Minister in a position to tell us this evening or is the Government still deciding what that message will be?
Until the Cabinet agrees a particular policy, I will not be in a position to go into detail or to talk to the message because that would only cause confusion. This question is a good opportunity to remind the House that we continue to accommodate Ukrainians and international protection applicants. As the Deputy knows, we accommodate Ukrainians primarily in serviced accommodation, but also in the modular accommodation we spoke about a few moments ago. We have also been undertaking a programme of refurbishment of existing buildings and using them. We have also used pledged accommodation through the Irish Red Cross and the vacant homes scheme through local authorities. Some 14,000 people are accommodated through that combined scheme. That is very significant. Almost 20% of Ukrainians are accommodated through that scheme. I know there was a lot of criticism at the start and it was slow to take off but it has really delivered. I acknowledge the work that has been done by the Irish Red Cross and by local authorities to implement that particular scheme. Those elements will be important in giving people options. We have to acknowledge that some hotels will leave this area of accommodation as their contracts run out. The alternatives I have mentioned will give people a means of accommodating themselves in a more independent fashion.
Again, real pressures exist in terms of international protection. We had a dialogue about proposals in Sligo earlier this year. I have always been very clear in my view that as we look to move beyond reliance solely on the private sector, the State has to invest in more State-owned accommodation for international protection applicants. We have to understand that Ireland, like every other European country, will see higher levels of migration in the decade to come.
I hear what the Minister is saying about the State investing, but he and I know that takes time. It is unlikely that he will be the Minister when much of this comes on stream. It will take quite a bit of time, so what can we do in the meantime? The elastic is well stretched at this stage. The payment to people to have a Ukrainian family or one of two members of the Ukrainian community in their homes is €800 per month. Is there any possibility that the Government would look at increasing that payment, especially with the cost of living, to make it slightly more attractive for people who would like to do it but are genuinely concerned about the cost and are worried that they would not be able to afford to do so? Would the Minister consider that option in the short term?
In terms of the rate of payment, it is €800, tax-free, and does not interfere with any other benefits, allowances or social welfare benefits an individual might receive. We have to be careful in terms of interference with the private rental market, with the housing assistance payment and with other areas. We feel that €800 is probably the right area right now. It has supported the take-up in a very significant manner. It is a significant amount and it is tax-free. We do not want to pursue a measure that interferes with the private rental market.
Deputy Harkin is right when she says that the provision of more State-owned accommodation takes time. The OPW modular pilot we spoke about a few moments ago has demonstrated that good-quality, in-scale accommodation can be built swiftly. I know there has been criticism of that pilot, but from concept to people living in those homes - from this not being a type of accommodation that existed to people living in homes - took less than a year, all in. I do not know of any housing development in our country that has been developed so quickly.
I congratulate the Minister on the speed with which this has happened but it is a tiny amount compared to what is needed. We know that. That is why I put forward that suggestion. Perhaps I am talking more about people taking Ukrainians in their own private homes rather than people who might be letting their homes or letting an apartment. I understand we do not want to interfere with the private rental market and that is important. However, we are not just at a pinch point; we are way beyond that. We need to look for temporary solutions. I do not know whether it is the solution I have proposed or something else. We need to find them. The Minister mentioned hotels earlier. In the part of the country I come from, tourism is on the floor. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has pretty much accepted this. In counties such as Leitrim and Sligo, much of the hotel accommodation is now being used for Ukrainians. It is at crisis point and cannot take any more.
It is an acknowledgement of the real pressures that are on the system that the Government is undertaking a review of the offering towards Ukrainians and will bring forward a change. We recognise there are pressures in this regard. There are pressures because what we are experiencing is unprecedented. This war on the European Continent, something we never thought we would see in our lifetime, is unprecedented as is the scale of people fleeing for their lives, in many cases, from Ukraine and entering the EU. Unprecedented responses are necessitated all over Europe, including here in Ireland, where we have done a lot as a Government. In particular, so much has been done in local communities in places such as Leitrim and Sligo. We are looking at the offering but we are continuing to bring on additional streams of accommodation, for example through modular housing and through refurbished properties. We will look at other options for accommodating Ukrainians and international protection applicants.
