Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ukrainian refugees are coming here on a false promise announced by a Government that has little or no plan as to where these vulnerable people are to be housed in the long-term. There is a feeling of powerlessness that can quickly take hold when watching awful images from conflict zones in the comfort and security of one's own home, whether that it is Kyiv, Damascus or Kabul. It is hard to know how to respond to stories of families being ripped apart, people fleeing from being shot in cold blood or children deliberately being targeted in war crimes.

All of the people coming into the country need to be housed. It is obvious that there are not enough houses in this country to cater for them. Even the current number is proving to be a significant challenge, with hotels and bed and breakfasts wanting their properties back and some families finding it difficult to host refugee families. There was a real Irish housing crisis before the Ukrainian crisis ever began. We have had a deepening housing crisis since the last financial crash in 2008-2010.

Around 10,000 people in Ireland are homeless today. That is approximately the population of Ballina. Approximately 120,000 are on local authority social housing waiting lists. People are expected to wait for a home under the scheme for at least nine years, on average. That is approximately the population of County Clare. Approximately 7,000 people are in the direct provision system. All in all, when one adds the numbers together one will find we already had about 137,000 people in this country, prior to the war in Ukraine, waiting for a home. That is about the same number of people who currently live in counties Offaly and Monaghan combined.

The Government's ongoing virtue signalling in taking in refugees, when its record of providing housing is atrocious, is shameful. The Government's response to the needs of Ukrainian refugees will, undoubtedly, follow the same failed policy route. It is now clear that the Government has no plan or strategy to deal with the influx of refugees. Despite this, Ministers and the Taoiseach have made sweeping announcements that Ireland will pledge to have no restrictions on the numbers entering the country.

This approach is not only letting down the refugees who are fleeing war; it is also letting down our own people. It is more of the same, with Ministers making promises they cannot possibly keep. Deep down they know that, but continue to make the promises anyway. The State has an appalling record when it comes to looking after vulnerable people in need of housing, and it appears that the path being paved by the Government will make matters much worse for everybody involved.

An opportunity has been missed here. The unfortunate Ukrainians who are fleeing the terrors of their country and coming here have not been given the opportunity to live in rural communities. I cannot understand why that is the case. In most situations that I see, they are being put into areas that already have serious housing issues and problems. There was a massive opportunity for Ukrainians to be brought into small rural communities. I do not see many of them going home in the short term because, unfortunately, it is a long-term issue for them. These towns and villages in rural communities - there are plenty of them in my constituency - are starved of people to go to school there, for example. They have fabulous facilities such as community halls and beautiful playing pitches or whatever for all sports but they lack people. There are opportunities there.

In my parish of Goleen there is a Garda station with seven rooms lying idle. The Garda station was closed. Why can it not be given to the community? Why is that being made impossible? There are plenty of community and voluntary groups in the area. Could six people be housed in that building? The local school would survive if that was done.

Another issue in west Cork at the moment relates to Darrara agricultural college. In fairness to the staff of the college, they have done superb work to make sure the Ukrainians who have arrived at the college in recent weeks are welcome. The Ukrainians at the college have now been offered an opportunity to work. I was contacted by a company in Clonakilty that is offering many of the individuals an opportunity to work. They have no transport to get to the workplace, however. That is wrong. There is plenty of transport; it just needs a bit of organising. I have been told that the people who have a good intention of going to work in Clonakilty, which is only two or three miles away from the college, have said they would travel by bicycle if they were given one. That is the situation. Transport should be provided, especially where work is available and the people in question are willing to take on the work. Transport should be provided immediately. The people of Darrara agricultural college are doing their level best. They have done brilliant work to get the rooms prepared and make sure food and everything else is looked after. However, employment has been secured for these people but they cannot get to it. We cannot take them to work if they have to do an early shift in Clonakilty. There are a lot of cogs not moving at the same time. I could speak further on this issue if I had more time.

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