Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation before the committee and thank them for making the time to come. More significantly, I thank them for the incredible work being done by the organisation to help in the Ukrainian and other refugee crises. I know the Red Cross has a long history of supporting refugees and is an essential part of the infrastructure that helps relocate and support refugees more broadly.

The opening statement outlines the scale and comprehensive nature of the organisation's work in securing accommodation for refugees, and it gives a sense of the complexities involved. I have a few questions. When a population has fled their homes and their lives to escape violence, almost definitely experiencing some kind of trauma, all of this will put considerable pressure on those individuals and the host families sharing the accommodation. In the short and medium term, what types of social and psychological supports will be needed to be made available for both refugees and their host families?

There was reference to an incredible €33 million that has been fundraised. I presume that amount is dwindling as time goes on because there is only so much that people can give etc. Is there a need for additional supports in some other way? What could the Government do to provide more support? If there is time, will Mr. O'Dwyer speak to what lessons we can learn in our immediate response to Ukraine that we can apply to other refugee emergencies?