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

I thank the Minister for the response and the constructive engagement. My colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, has raised a number of practical ways we can ensure a more co-ordinated national response because that is the issue. It is about co-ordinating the response and co-ordinating the national effort.

The point the Minister made about IPAS is welcome. It is clear local authorities are stepping up in a huge way. They and council officials are dealing and will deal with a large number of front-line measures to support Ukrainian families and individuals coming here. However, they need clear funding streams to enable them to do that. They need flexibility in working with community and voluntary groups that have also stepped up.

We also need to see supports in place for the Red Cross, which has taken on a huge responsibility in assessing the suitability of accommodation and has already reached out to other entities and agencies for support in that. There is, for example, a way in which current or retired community welfare officers could be engaged to help those seeking to access supports. Visiting the Ukraine support centre in Cork Street, I saw just how many civil and public servants are already doing that and offering that support. However, in recent weeks I visited a community hall in my and the Minister's constituency where families were sleeping on mats on the floor. Clearly, that is not ideal and it was only short-term but there is a real uncertainty about the national co-ordination of what should be a national and collective effort.

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