Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As my colleague, Deputy Bacik, said, we certainly understand the scale of this or at least we all try to understand just how big this issue is. It is demanding an unprecedented response from Government.

Housing is the greatest challenge but, below housing, there are many important and pressing immediate challenges. I was in St. Finian's Community College yesterday meeting the fifth and sixth year politics and society students and they were asking questions. A girl, named Ciara Brady, asked me if I knew the Ukrainian people who are living up in the hotels in north County Dublin, such as the Shoreline Hotel, and in Emmaus, the Christian Brothers' facility, and I said I did. She asked, "Is there anyone up there looking after them?" It was the most simple question but it cut to the heart of what I am dealing with on the ground, day in, day out. I have been in touch with both the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputies Darragh O'Brien and Joe O'Brien, respectively, who, in fairness, have been really responsive, as has the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, in terms of coming back to me, but that simple question cut to the heart of the day-to-day issues that many of us are trying to assist with and for which I feel there is a deficit in the response.

The Fingal response forum is doing much good work but it does not have competencies in social protection, health, school transport and school placement. These are real issues of concern and ones that we are finding difficult to resolve. If it was not for the work of local volunteers, such as Ms Corina Johnson, locally in Donabate, people would not be getting to doctor and dentist appointments, would not be getting school transport and would not be getting into schools.

What I and the Labour Party are seeking is to have a dependable, experienced presence in these centres, be they hotels or whatever, from the State. It could be retired community welfare officers or experienced Intreo people, but it should be people who are able not only to point people in the right direction and solve problems as they arise but also to have a dependable reporting function to the Ministers and the Government so we know what is happening. Every day, we are getting a new, unique, worrying query. I have encountered safeguarding issues and people coming onto sites looking to take Ukrainian women from sites. I do not have full faith in the structure of the event companies and facilities management companies that are taking over properties. We need experienced State officials here.

I also believe IPAS is too opaque. It is impenetrable, and we cannot contact it even though it is playing a vital role in this. That is very important and it is something I ask the Minister to take on board.

They are the two issues - a dependable State presence on these sites and examining how IPAS is functioning.

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