Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Labour Party about the crisis in Ukraine and the governmental response. I want to first express my solidarity and that of my party with the people of Ukraine who have now endured an entire month of the brutal bombardment and horrific onslaught represented by the Russian invasion. Despite some indications in recent days of the scaling down of the siege on Kyiv, there is no indication that this horrendous suffering will end soon. We know just how brutal Putin's imperial regime is.

I am conscious that we are standing here in this peaceful corner of Europe, while on the other side of Europe we are seeing an unthinkable atrocity being perpetrated which has unfolded within such a swift passage of time. That is one of the reasons it is so truly shocking to us. The war is a crime, and there has undoubtedly been a huge array of war crimes committed by Russian forces in the course of the war. Yesterday, I spoke in the House about having attended the funeral of Pierre Zakrzewski. We owe him, his colleague, Oleksandra Kuvshynova , who was killed alongside him in a an attack outside Kyiv, and other war reporters a great debt of gratitude for shining a spotlight on the atrocities being committed by Russia and the suffering being endured by the Ukrainian people. Without that sort of front-line reporting, we would not be as aware of the scale of the appalling devastation being endured by Ukraine.

As I said, it is particularly shocking because it is happening in Europe. It is particularly shocking because of the speed with which it has unfolded and scale of the devastation that has been caused.

We are witnessing the appalling siege of the people of Mariupol, as well as 4 million people having fled their own country into other EU states in the course of just over four weeks. Of course, we are also witnessing yet another manifestation of the brutal rule of Vladimir Putin. It brings to mind the sort of war Putin conducted through proxy in recent history, such as through Assad in Syria. We saw the brutal siege of Aleppo and the enormous suffering of the Syrian people under that attack. It also brings to mind other wars being conducted on other peoples who are enduring and suffering brutal bombardment. I am thinking in particular of the people of Yemen in what is sometimes referred to as a forgotten war, but which is an absolutely brutal war of which, again, civilians are bearing a significant brunt and which is being waged largely through complicity by proxy with Saudi Arabia. I was glad to stand outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Dublin on Saturday to protest that war and the war in Ukraine.

Looking at the State's response, it is clear there has been an enormous and very welcome outpouring of generosity among all communities across Ireland. I acknowledge the speed and generosity with which the Government has responded. The Taoiseach and the Ministers, Deputies Humphreys and O'Gorman, spoke about some of the ways in which the Government has responded. I was glad to visit the Ukraine support centre nearest to me, located on Cork Street in Dublin 8, just last week and to meet officials of the Department of Social Protection and staff who had volunteered from the Citizens Information Services, the Department of Justice and other State entities. Those officials adapting so swiftly in order to assist people arriving from Ukraine is true public service. I visited volunteer-run service at the free shop on Clarendon Street, only 100 m from Leinster House, which has been set up by several volunteers to provide necessary and basic items for Ukrainian families and individuals fleeing here, some of whom I have met. I am told and know from those whom I have met that some of them have come with no more than a change of clothes. Their needs are extreme. As other Members have stated, many of them have left behind loved ones - fathers, husbands or parents - in Ukraine. The scale of human suffering is evident and it is welcome to see the great generosity with which this State has responded and the opening of our doors to 15,000 people.

There are several points that we need to consider because it is clear the need is extensive and the scale of the challenge is immense. We know there have been immensely strong offers of support. The Red Cross is doing exceptionally important and impressive work in co-ordinating those offers. We know also that it may come to a situation where, as the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, stated, we will have to look at short-term housing measures. I have indicated to him and the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, that there is capacity to provide, for example, Sprung structures, as temporary accommodation on an emergency basis. My colleague Senator Moynihan has pointed out as Labour Party spokesperson on housing the need for a longer-term housing strategy and to ensure there is a revision to the Housing for All strategy and a whole-of-government response should the housing need endure for longer in the event of there being no short-term end to the war.

There are concerns relating to the schooling of the many children who are coming here. It is welcome to see the way in which schools are opening their doors, as well as initiatives such as the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, taking on the provision of information in Ukrainian and Russian to families and parents to enable a smooth transition into schools here. On a recent visit to Ballyvaughan in County Clare I saw the fantastic community response, including the school response, to those coming here and fleeing such devastation. On the schooling issue, we need to ensure all the necessary supports are provided for, particularly language supports.

On the issue of arrival into the country, although the Ukraine support centres and the centre at Dublin Airport have been impressive and superb, we still need to ensure there is a central point of contact and that, no matter where refugees come into the country, they receive the same level of supports. My colleague Deputy Howlin spoke last week about the concerns in Rosslare, where volunteers were doing a significant amount of work. I think that matter has been addressed but it is certainly the case that we need to ensure there are sufficient levels of support at Shannon and Cork airports and wherever else refugees are arriving.

As regards employment prospects, all present, including the many Members who have met Ukrainians coming here, are very conscious that many of those coming here are highly skilled. Many of them are able to continue working if they had been working remotely in Ukraine. All of them are anxious to get work and jobs. I very much welcome the highlighting by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, of the employer mechanism but, again, supports will be required. As a trade unionist, I am concerned to ensure that nobody coming here will be exploited. We must ensure that people are protected, especially those who do not have sufficient levels of English-language skills. I commend SIPTU and other unions for committing to provide refugees with information on workers' rights and job prospects here in their own language. That is a welcome initiative.

I refer to other ways in which we in Ireland can show support for Ukraine. It is clear that one such way is through our welcome of refugees here and our provision of humanitarian aid, to which the Taoiseach referred. At diplomatic level, we should be using all the non-military means at our disposal as a neutral State to support Ukraine and its accession to the EU. I am really glad the Minister, Deputy Coveney, indicated that support along with a small number of other EU states. I welcome his action in the context of the expulsion of diplomats. I very much welcomed the Taoiseach's announcement yesterday which, as it happened, was in response to my question on Leaders' Questions in respect of the expulsion of four senior officials from the Russian Embassy here. I believe we should go further and now move to expel the Russian ambassador. We did act not across the EU 27 but as one of a small number of EU states that moved to expel diplomats yesterday. I welcome that because it is an important diplomatic means at our disposal to express our condemnation of Russia's brutality in the strongest possible terms. However, we should go further now and expel the Russian ambassador.

As one who has always been a member of an internationalist party, for us in the Labour Party, a member of the Party of European Socialists, it is important that we stand up against this assault on democracy and the sovereignty of a peaceful and democratic state that we are seeing unfolding before our eyes. That is why we need to take all the measures that are available to us to show our support for Ukraine and its people, as well as the Ukrainian Government and President Zelenskiy.

I conclude by expressing my welcome for the fact that President Zelenskiy will address this House next week. I ask that his address be live broadcast. It is very important. Many people will want to watch the address as it comes to us. I know that many Ukrainian citizens who are now here in Ireland may like to come to the House to watch that address. If that were possible, it would be a welcome gesture. I presume the Ukrainian ambassador, H.E. Larysa Gerasko, whom I have met on several occasions, will be here, but it would be a positive gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian people to have a strong presence in the House of the Ukrainian community and members of that community here in Ireland.

I again ask that we use all means at our disposal to convey our strong condemnation of Russia and our strong solidarity with the people of Ukraine as they endure this horrific onslaught.

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