Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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We do not have any official apologies. Today, we will deal with a motion on the referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9 (2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2022. I welcome the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman. We will then have a general discussion on the situation in Ukraine. The Minister is joined by his officials, Mr. Aidan Madden, principal officer, Ms Sheenagh Rooney, assistant secretary, Mr. John Lohan, principal officer, Mr. Paul Fay, principal officer and Mr. Tom Talbot, principal officer. They are all very welcome to the meeting.

I will go through the normal housekeeping matters. I advise anyone who is contributing via Microsoft Teams that the chat function is only to make us aware of any technical issues or urgent matters and is not to be used to make general comments or statements. I remind members of the constitutional requirements that they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex in order to participate in public meetings. I will not permit a member to participate where he or she is not adhering to that constitutional requirement. If any member attempts to participate from outside the precincts, he or she will be asked to leave the meeting. In this regard, I ask any member who is participating via Microsoft Teams to confirm that he or she is on the Leinster House campus before making his or her contribution.

On parliamentary privilege, witnesses who are participating from the committee room are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any person or entity either by name or in such a way as to make him, her it identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory with regard to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction. The opening statement will be followed by a decision on agreement of the motion and then a discussion on the refugee accommodation crisis. I invite the Minister to deliver his opening statement.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I thank the Chair and wish Deputies and Senators a good afternoon.

At the Government meeting on 28 October, a number of decisions were made to assist with the State’s response to the war in Ukraine. A number of these decisions fall within my Department's remit to implement. That includes doubling the accommodation recognition payment to acknowledge the support of the general public in providing accommodation to those fleeing Ukraine.

I will make the necessary order in accordance with the statutory provisions under section 9 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 to increase the recognition payment for those offering accommodation to beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive from €400 to €800 per month, with effect from 1 December 2022.

I remain committed to ensuring that my Department meets its obligations to those who have sought refuge in this country under the temporary protection directive. Harnessing the many generous offers of accommodation pledged buy the Irish public and increasing the financial support that is available to hosts will be a step towards addressing the accommodation shortages we now face and will provide Ukrainians with a space of safety and an appropriate level of autonomy over their lives.

It remains the case that the majority and, indeed, an increasing proportion of those arriving from Ukraine seek accommodation assistance from the Government. My Department is now providing accommodation for nearly 46,000 people who have been displaced from Ukraine. In addition, we are accommodating 17,000 applicants for international protection, which is a significant number. Together, it is equivalent to half the number of people living in my constituency of Dublin West. Projections are that by the end of the year, approximately 72,000 people will have sought temporary protection status in Ireland. Based on the percentages we are currently using, whereby between 78% and 80% of people are seeking accommodation, we expect we will need to accommodate 55,000 people by the end of December. This is again a projection.

The Citywest transit hub team reviews admissions on a daily basis. Where it has sufficient accommodation, all are admitted to Citywest. That is the case as at the moment. However, the outlook on accommodation provision both for international protection applicants and beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive remains challenging.

I can confirm that some changes are being made in our accommodation offering to beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive, particularly to ensure equity between those who are accommodated in independent living in pledged accommodation, for example, and those accommodated in hotel accommodation and also in terms of aligning what we offer here in Ireland with other member states.

My officials have begun the necessary process of consultation with those in the hospitality industry about the use of bed-only contracts. We would like to introduce these on a phased basis as existing contracts expire. It is hoped that this can incentivise, to an extent, a move to independent accommodation. It will also to an extent reduce the reliance on the tourism sector for accommodation. We are engaging with the tourism sector and other stakeholders on the most appropriate way to give effect to this element of the Government’s decision.

Some contracts with serviced accommodation providers may not renew their contract. That is why we are working on having available independent accommodation to meet capacity needs in that regard. It is important in this environment that we communicate with those who are impacted in terms of their options and do what we can to minimise disruption for families. I also have to be very frank with people.

There will be disruption and people will move from hotels and we will always do our best to let people know but we cannot guarantee an absence of disruption. That is a consequence of the situation we as a country face and indeed Europe as a continent faces. Proposed changes to the Government's refusal policy can also improve fairness given the pressures on accommodation available. The Government will shortly announce plans for a new vacant homes call operated through local authorities for those from Ukraine and we will work with those from Ukraine and will communicate all efforts to encourage the use of the pledged accommodation by beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive. In general, one suitable offer of accommodation will be made to all beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive. In terms of capturing all suitable accommodation offers made to my Department, we are currently working on a consolidated database between my Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other Departments that will cover all properties offered to any Department and that have been identified as potentially suitable as accommodation for Ukrainians. A single contact point will be established the process and this is another key Government priority.

In light of the imminent launch by local authorities, to be overseen by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, of the call for unoccupied properties my Department will work with implementing partners to close out the existing Irish Red Cross pledge scheme that originally opened in late February or early March of this year. To date, just short of 5,500 Ukrainians are accommodated in pledged accommodation across the country. It is a very significant support to the State's efforts. More than 10% of Ukrainians to whom the State has offered accommodation are now accommodated in pledged accommodation, so it is hugely important.

The agenda and the motion I am bringing forward primarily relate to accommodation challenges regarding Ukraine but I would like to take this opportunity to update the committee on some of the challenges we face accommodating international protection applicants. Given the significant increase in the arrival of international protection applicants we have seen - so far this year we have seen over 15,000 to date - and linked to the shortage of accommodation offers available, we have to consider all offers of accommodation for those seeking international protection. That includes repurposing existing buildings in order they can be used for short-term accommodation. We are working across Government with NGOs, agencies and local authorities to bring new accommodation on board in order that we can meet the State's humanitarian responsibilities. Emergency centres have been opened in all parts of the country and up to 40 accommodation locations have been utilised since January of this year across 13 counties for us to be able to accommodate international protection applicants. As members are aware, the Two Gateway accommodation centre in East Wall has come on stream in the past few days and we are engaged in a process of communication with the local community at present. From tomorrow onwards, we will do an extensive leaflet drop across the East Wall area to let people know the number of people who will be living in that accommodation and addressing some surrounding issues that have been raised.

Across the past nine months, the Irish public has shown huge solidarity in terms of its response to the war in Ukraine and to other conflicts that are raging across the world. Where people are arriving in Ireland seeking refuge from that, the State's response has been at all times supported by the response of communities and by the support and work that communities have done to integrate both Ukrainians and people from other countries locally. We look to continue to work with and to foster that, while also recognising that we are facing a humanitarian crisis like our country has never faced before. That has been faced all across Europe and that is creating pressures and strains. I remember even speaking in the Dáil at the very start of this crisis and saying the response could not always be perfect and I absolutely recognise that. We continue to provide very real shelter, safety and support to more than 60,000 individuals right now and that contrasts with 7,500 people this time last year. The scale of the challenge has grown exponentially and we will look to continue to work to provide shelter and safety to those who arrive here seeking it, irrespective of where they are from. I thank the Chair.