Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is unedifying to see any attempt being made in the House to engage in political point scoring on both sides on such a serious issue. It is fair to say that across Ireland, communities have been dismayed to see people fleeing the brutal war in Ukraine having to sleep on the floor in Dublin Airport. That is a matter of grave concern, dismay and distress to communities across Ireland that have been so generous in offering refuge to the thousands of people who have had to come here because of the brutal invasion of their democratic, sovereign homeland by Russia; by Putin and his brutal army.

It is disappointing that there was not engagement back in the spring or earlier in the summer by the Government to ensure that we would have short-term, medium-term and long-term planning in place in order that this would not happen. Back in July, I hosted a briefing here in the Oireachtas with members of the Ukraine Civil Society Forum at which they called for that level of planning to be put in place, and at which they and members of the Ukrainian community here called for a co-ordinated whole-of-government response led by the Taoiseach. That is what is needed now.

For too long, it seems, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has been left to bear almost full responsibility for the housing of and provision of support to those who come here fleeing war and to the communities here who are supporting them so generously and ably. That has not been good enough and that is why we are in the position we are in now.

We in the Labour Party want to offer constructive support and engagement with the Taoiseach and the Government and that is why I wrote to him yesterday seeking that he would provide all Opposition leaders and spokespersons with a briefing on the current status of accommodation for those fleeing war in Ukraine and, indeed, those seeking international protection. I sought that briefing on the current situation but also sought a briefing on future planning. In the spring, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage wrote to us in the Opposition and asked us to supply him with details on vacant properties in our areas, and we sent details to his office. Through our party’s housing spokesperson, Senator Moynihan, we put forward a range of properties in our constituencies, including Baggot Street hospital in my area and other properties too. I have been engaging with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman's, Department, as have other colleagues. We have not heard back with updates on the properties we have proposed.

We want to see local communities and local authorities be far more strongly engaged in this process. We want to see a whole-of-government approach and a ramping-up of efforts to unlock the capacity we know is here in this country. We have been very generous in our approach but across Europe we have seen generosity. The Czech Republic has taken in four times as many refugees from Ukraine per head of population as we have. We are seeing enormous efforts across Europe because European democracy is under threat. The Taoiseach is absolutely correct; Putin is weaponising refugee flows and we cannot let him win. That is why we need to ensure the Opposition and the Government are engaged together in this collective effort.

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