Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are witnessing the horror of war at the moment, although we are removed from it. The destruction that is happening in Ukraine and the annexation of parts of Crimea are truly horrifying. War crimes are taking place there, brutality, rape and genocide. The Russian leadership will have to be held to account for it in the future. Pictures have come out of Bucha in the past two weeks showing victims with their hands tied, their fingernails removed and obvious evidence of torture. Women and children have been raped. These are crimes against Ukraine and humanity. At some future point, Ireland must be more strident in terms of expressing our its outrage at what has happened there.

The recent propaganda on Russian television detailing the extermination of the population of Ireland and Britain through a nuclear attack is a further sign of the desperation of the Russian leadership as it moves to provide new threats to Western support for Ukraine's fight for democratic survival. The Russian ambassador has repeatedly lied to the Irish people. He should be summoned by the Government to account for the tyrannical threats of Vladimir Putin to our country and our existence. He should also get the message that Ireland has never given in to bullying.

I sincerely thank the Irish people for our collective response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Thanks are due to our NGOs, local authorities -my own local authority in Waterford is doing an outstanding job - and the lead Departments and their officials have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide shelter for and welcome to Ukrainian refugees coming into Ireland. The Minister for Foreign Affairs outlined that the number so far stands at 27,300 and is growing daily. To date, 18,000 people have required temporary accommodation. In my county of Waterford, as well as many other counties, generous homeowners have provided immediate accommodation in their houses. In Waterford, we have refugees staying in a number of sports centres in the city and county. I thank the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and his Department officials for expediting a property offer I brought to him some weeks ago. Gracedieu House in Waterford will welcome the first of many guests this weekend.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage outlined the significant work being done by his Department, local authorities, the OPW and NGOs to identify additional possible property locations. The Regional Group brought a motion before the House only in the past weeks to target the vacant properties throughout the country that are lying idle. I welcome the Minister's decision to reform the fair deal scheme to allow properties to become available to the rental market. The Minister also mentioned the possibility of providing modular home solutions on public lands that could revert back to the State in the future as part of temporary housing stock. This initiative must be expedited immediately. There is no reason to delay it.

The Minister mentioned the agility of Ireland's response to the crisis. There is probably much more we can do. In Waterford, a number of community organisations have contacted me with a view to providing outreach activities for Ukrainian visitors. At present, there is no designated contact person to co-ordinate such offers, although I welcome the Minister saying additional staffing is now being provided to local authorities. Many of the visitors coming here wish to work but there is no formalised process to provide work access routes for them. One of the biggest deficits in the country at the moment relates to haulage drivers. Ukrainian heavy goods vehicle, HGV, licensed hauliers do not have their licences recognised here. Ukrainian car driver licences are recognised, however. Germany has moved to give immediate recognition to Ukrainian HGV licences and these drivers are taking up immediate employment. I ask that the Minister speak to the Department of Transport to question why we cannot follow the lead of Germany and adopt a similar approach that would provide much-needed skilled labour to the transport and logistics sector.

School access and teaching cover is a significant issue already, with some schools having taken in Ukrainian children with no English, without Ukrainian translators to help. Teaching cover must be provided to ensure seamless integration of these children, but also to defend against a charge of disadvantaging existing pupil-teacher ratios.

The issue of private pledges has been mentioned. They have become somewhat problematic. People may be foregoing rent on summer holiday lets that they are now reconsidering. The potential duration of stay may be a concern for many and the introduction of tenancy rights may be in the minds of some of the 6,000 pledges now declined. In addition, the standards demanded for accommodation provision are possibly too high in the context of many properties that have been offered. People may be also holding off in case the Government decides to financially support pledged arrangements. This is something the Government needs to make a decision on soon, and it needs to announce the outcome of that decision.

I was glad to hear the Minister say the Housing for All programme funding is separate and ring-fenced from Ukrainian accommodation support moneys. That being said, the labour component now required to build houses under the Housing for All scheme to cater to Ukrainian housing needs and to provide a retrofitting programme is not available in the State currently. This fact must be recognised and policy decisions must take account of it. Public contractors are at present refusing to quote for a large number of public sector builds. This is because of the onerous nature of the contracts and the inability of contract programmes to allow any adequate contingency or variation clauses. This is a significant reality that Government procurement is going to have to step up to and meet. If I can refer again to Waterford, the Minister has put a threshold of €250,000 on the affordable housing programme. This is completely at odds with the prevailing market and the reality of building costs in Waterford. For the local authority to deliver any house under this scheme it will have to be at least €325,000. I have discussed this repeatedly with the Minister without action with respect to moving the support level from where it is at present. Nothing will be provided under the affordable housing scheme in Waterford.

The people of Ireland have long ranked as among the most generous in the world. Yet again we are stepping up and providing support for those who need it most. Our response to date has been magnificent. If this war drags on we will be called on to show continuous solidarity and generosity to Ukraine. We must not forget what is happening in Ukraine today and that, but for the kindness of strangers and the solidarity of our friends and neighbours, it could happen in Ireland at any point in the future. Let no one say of us that when we were needed, we were not there. That has never been the history of this country or its people and must not ever be. Regardless of the trials and tribulations it may bring to our shores, we must persevere. Ireland has always shone brightest in the darkest hours before the dawn. Let us continue to be a beacon for those who are fleeing for their lives and their children's lives from the war zones in Ukraine.

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