Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will do everything we can to ensure compliance with the sanctions. We have no interest - none, zero - in enabling any Russian oligarch or to be more specific anyone who is part the sanctions' list, either to evade or avoid being fully accountable to that sanctions regime. We have no interest as a country in protecting anybody in that regard. I have to be crystal clear about that. We will do and are doing whatever it takes, with the Central Bank, to facilitate full compliance with sanctions.

As I said, it is a criminal offence to endeavour to evade these sanctions or to facilitate the avoidance or evasion of these economic and financial sanctions.

This morning, we went further in the European Union. Justice and home affairs ministers will meet on Thursday to ratify this. Understandably, we are making very liberal plans for Ukrainian people who are fleeing Ukraine to come to this country and to any European country. They will be able to stay here under the temporary protection mechanism for quite a considerable length of time. They will have access to our social protection system, housing and the education system. This will involve a levelling up in terms of the humanitarian response in this country. We will work with countries closer to the border of Ukraine and on the border of Ukraine in respect of burden sharing across the European Union to contribute our fair share and to facilitate logistically transfers of people to Ireland where that would be required.

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