James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the update. Another point which needs to be made is that there was a great deal of unfortunate commentary in recent times about the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. It is dangerous to go into that type of territory. It is important also that the Government works with communities which are hosting refugees. I am from the town of Youghal and the Minister will be very familiar with the fact that a very short distance from where I live the Redbarn centre was set up and there is a very significant number of Ukrainians there at the moment. It is important that there is cohesion from every stakeholder’s perspective and that Government engages with those communities, particularly in matters of education.

Our local secondary school, Pobalscoil na Trionóide in Youghal, has been doing wonderful work to accommodate the very significant number of new students who will be arriving in September. We should not just be talking to the commercial operators but to the local communities also. I invite the Minister to come to the Cork East constituency. We would be delighted to meet him to see if he can get a better perspective from all angles on this issue. This is a point that needs to put forward in a very politically appropriate manner, unlike what we heard, I believe, on the “Claire Byrne Live” programme last week. That type of dangerous commentary is profoundly regrettable in this republic. Perhaps the Minister might commit to visiting east Cork at some stage.

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