Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, I am bringing the legislation through at the moment to reduce the payment to €38.80 per week for new arrivals from Ukraine who reside in designated State-provided accommodation. We have discussed this at length on Committee and Report Stages over the past few weeks. There will be a further opportunity to discuss it in the Seanad.

The point I made in the Dáil related to the specific amendment that was proposed. I was simply making the point that we could not rule out in the future looking at payments for people who are already here. As the Deputy said, the temporary protection directive expires in March 2025, so I was being upfront that we cannot rule out what action may be required down the road. We should not tie our hands. Both the Taoiseach and the Minister have reiterated this point.