Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

People talk about planning but I think the extraordinary thing if we look at this is if somebody had said in early 2022 that we would accommodate 70,000 and put a roof over their head, they would be told it would take a ten-year plan. There was no time and it was largely achieved. We should be fair and recognise that.

I do not have the figures in front of me so am not sure how many people are coming in under the BOTP from Ukraine at the moment per month. I presume the object of the exercise is, by levelling us off with Europe, to make us equally but no more attractive than other European countries so there would be a better spread of people fleeing the war in Ukraine across the European Union. I was in Portugal on summer holidays last year and we asked the taxi driver how many Ukrainians were in Portugal, which has 10 million people, twice our population. It was way less than ours. We asked how that happened and he said "Money, money". Even as far away as Portugal, the message had got through. I take it the presumption is the number coming in - the Minister might dig out that number - will reduce. That is the first point.

The second point is it is hard to get information from the Department of children on the number of free beds. The word on the street is there are centres housing Ukrainians that are not full and there is space in some of them, so I am fairly hopeful a space could be found in a designated centre for all who want it. I do not think that is a problem.

I have an issue I expressed on Second Stage which I do not expect the Minister to change today. Many of the places involved are seasonal hotels now getting a 52-week per-year income. They tend not to be in the centres of population and some are quite far from centres of population. Therefore, €38 per week would not buy you lunch every day if you go to the local town or want to move outside the centre. Some of them are in places where there is not anything much locally. That payment across the board is unrealistically small. I am not talking about going back to where we were with Ukrainians but for all asylum seekers it is a very small amount, allowing that they have to get out every day.

I am concerned about the 90 days. If any number come in and have to look for accommodation on the market after 90 days, there is only one place to look and that is the rental housing sector. They will not be able to buy after 90 days. Maybe the concern will be allayed if the numbers are so small the amount leaving and going back will be greater than the amount coming in. If I come in under international protection, I can stay indefinitely until I get other accommodation, even after I get status. I am a little bit worried about that.

Finally, will the Minister clarify whether Ukrainians get a free travel ticket?