Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all have a lot to say on an issue such as this. It is important that we say it. I appreciate the early statements by the Ministers and by all the Deputies who have been present throughout the debate. I would like to think that this unites the House and the country in terms of our response to a war that is now in its 71st day. The impacts of the war are absolutely startling, if it has not long started, on our society and economy and most importantly on our role as signed-up members of the human race.

I will make points as a direct response to the sort of representations to my office from constituents who wish to play their part. Their generosity is genuine and their compassion for the people fleeing Vladimir Putin's brutal war in Ukraine is absolute. However, they have questions and they want clarity. They want those questions answered in a way that will ensure that they are comfortable in making sure of their generosity. As we saw at the outbreak of the pandemic, there are, unfortunately, certain limits to solidarity. There is often a rush for solidarity and then when things a bit tough, people get a little bit concerned or it slips out. Whether we like it or not, the wall-to-wall coverage of the war in Ukraine will diminish as time goes by. Unfortunately, the notion of the Russians shelling Kyiv or committing atrocities the likes of which have not been seen, if not since the Balkans war, then certainly since the Second World War, becomes normalised.

My office gets questions from people who may be fortunate or in a situation in which they have a second home such as a holiday property or one they are in a position to put to use for this effort. In some situations they might have a spare room in their home. People who have contacted me have properties and are willing to put them forward, but they want to have clarity for their own purposes. It is not necessarily for their own sake, it also for dealing with insurance companies in terms of the ability to inspect the properties, to have an idea when they may receive the properties back and what exactly they are signing up for. They ask when they will get clarity and whether their offer is being accepted, under what term it is being accepted and about the registration. I fully appreciate that the Red Cross, which is running this portal, is snowed under with offers, some of which are the most generous and genuine but which are simply not suitable for what is required.

When these offers are submitted, some people will have questions. They want to know that these will be answered in an open and non-judgmental way. These people wish to have the peace of mind of knowing they will be able to refer back to their insurance companies, banks or even other family members with information, especially where the property involved is the subject of a time-share or split-ownership arrangement. A number of extremely suitable properties are not being used now because of a lack of clarity or information. This is because people who wish to engage in the process, but who are not absolutely sure they will be able to follow through and complete the process, are afraid there might be some pushback.

Many Deputies have referred to the need to engage in myth-busting. I have already started to get one or two calls to my office from people who may be on the housing list or trying to get a child into a particular school. The practice of othering is one we have been seeing for some time. It has been present during all my time in politics, whether here, in the Seanad or on the county council. I refer to situations where people believe they are not getting a house, not moving up the housing list or not getting a place for their children in a school because somebody else is coming in and leapfrogging them. This is being fuelled by campaigns of misinformation and disinformation on social media undertaken by malevolent characters who would jump on any crisis to make odious points. We must be aware that this is happening. I have referred many times to the open approach of the Russian Government and Russian operatives to warfare, which is not just about shells and missiles, troops on the ground, cyberwarfare and hybrid warfare; it also involves the use of the tool of misinformation and disinformation.

Across the Continent, the level of misinformation being directed to European Union member states is evident. I speak to parliamentary colleagues in the Baltic States and central and eastern Europe, especially those in Poland and Slovakia. Those countries have been dealing with this disinformation and misinformation emanating from the Government of the Russian Federation and its operatives for well over a decade. We are now starting to get a taste of it. Horrendous mock imagery was broadcast earlier this week on Russian state television of what would happen if a nuclear bomb was detonated off the coast of Donegal and Ireland became a nuclear desert after a tsunami. It is par for the course for the type of disinformation directed into Estonian television sets, for example, or online. We must be aware when unknown people with multiple numbers after their handles are coming on social media and saying people are not getting places on social housing lists because everything is being given to Ukrainian refugees and 27,000 people are jumping the queue. It is important that we target that type of misinformation and disinformation. We must not only call it out; the Government must also take the lead in doing so.

When talking about housing and accommodation needs, and I have mentioned this point before, the overall holistic approach to caring for our guests from Ukraine is something that deserves a continued focus in the context of providing language supports, immersion and utilising those people resident here who are from other eastern and central European countries, who may have been living here longer, as well as people from the Ukrainian diaspora. Counselling and pastoral care are crucial for people coming from a traumatic situation who will, unfortunately, also be facing more trauma in future, whether that stems from loved ones lost in the conflict or houses destroyed.

I also echo and want to add to the point made by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, this morning. We talk about rebuilding Ukraine. Ireland and the rest of the EU need to begin the process of devising a type of Marshall plan for Ukraine. We must rebuild Ukraine, not only to restore it to what it was before Russia’s brutal war but to enhance it. Such a level of reconstruction and financial support is in our interest. It will ensure that when - and not if - Ukraine joins the EU expeditiously, that it will do so from a position where the country is ready to participate in the Union and serve in its institutions.

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