Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 6 December 2023

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Supplementary Estimates for 2023: Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Yes, from my perspective and certainly from the perspective of the Minister of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. We have moved heaven and earth to make funding available to deal with the needs of those who come to our country seeking refuge. The scale of the Supplementary Estimate we brought in for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for well over €1 billion, which was the largest Supplementary Estimate, shows my commitment and that of the Government to making funding available. The issue that necessitated the decision in regard to changing payments is the availability of accommodation not the availability of money. We are not lacking in compassion. We are not lacking in our ability to find money. What we are lacking in is our ability to find accommodation quickly and this is despite the huge progress we have made in accommodating nearly 100,000 people up to this point in the space of 18 months.