There is a cross-Departmental approach and a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Taoiseach with a range of Departments and Ministers attending. Prior to Christmas, former Limerick city manager Conn Murray was appointed to co-ordinate the work on the accommodation side. It must be acknowledged this is by any distance the largest humanitarian operation ever undertaken by the State. We have never had such a level of refugees fleeing war coming into the country. People continue to arrive from Ukraine. It is quite shocking and I appreciate the Deputy's solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The Russian attack has been vicious, targeted against civilians and deliberately designed to create a migration crisis, along with an energy crisis and so on.

Ireland has responded well to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, with about 72,000 people now benefitting from temporary protection in Ireland. About 15,000 international protection applicants have arrived here. Overall, we have accommodated about 73,000 in total, between Ukrainians and international protection applicants. The greatest pressure is on accommodation for the latter. My own Department has made Kilbride Army Camp available for international protection applicants. It had previously been available for Ukrainian refugees as a transit location. I am not clear what the Deputy means by the repurposing of barracks. There has been a significant policy over the last number of decades of closure of barracks and there is investment going into barracks for the purposes of the military. It is important we acknowledge the role of our Defence Forces and the importance of not undermining them in this process, but they are available to help and assist in any former barracks in standing up accommodation, for example. That facility has been made available to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and I have made that very clear.

On the communication issue, we acknowledge there can be better communication in respect of some aspects of this. The €50 million we have allocated to a community fund is very important and I would like to see that done strategically in response to genuine needs within communities who have been very welcoming and who have large numbers of refugees and international protection applicants in their areas. That fund will be under the Minister for Rural and Community Development. It is an important fund for engaging with communities who have been very responsive. I pay tribute to many of the schools, people in education and teachers, who have gone to exceptional levels to work with Ukrainian children and young people on their educational needs, and I have witnessed that at first hand myself.

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