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

I welcome this debate and am glad to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Labour Party. It is particularly timely as next week, 24 February, is the sad first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. It is 12 months since Vladimir Putin began waging his brutal war on Ukraine. Such devastation, destruction and suffering has been inflicted on the people of Ukraine since then, with the war crimes in Bucha, the siege of Mariupol, devastation in the Donetsk region and reports of spates of war crimes, including sexual crimes, against Ukrainian women and children by Russian soldiers. It is a campaign of death and destruction in Europe the likes of which we had all hoped we would never see again.

This week, the UN estimated that more than 7,000 civilians, including hundreds of children, have been killed. We know the death toll is likely to be significantly higher as the conflict has hampered humanitarian efforts, rescue efforts and efforts to count the dead. Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides have been also killed.

We also know that the displacement of people has been enormous. Some 5.9 million people have been internally displaced in Ukraine and 8 million refugees have been recorded across Europe. We have a welcome debate this afternoon on how we can do right by those fleeing devastation and seeking sanctuary on our shores. It is not just people fleeing the brutal war in Ukraine but also those fleeing conflict and persecution in other countries. I refer to those who are fleeing the devastating consequences of climate change and those who may well now be looking to flee from the horrific earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. We have an ethical responsibility and a moral duty to provide shelter to those who come here seeking refuge. I welcome the Government's commitment.

In terms of the Ukraine conflict, while we are militarily neutral we cannot be politically neutral in the face of this horrific Russian aggression. As all speakers have acknowledged, there has been immense decency and humanity shown in communities across the country. A great welcome has been rolled out to those who have come here fleeing persecution and a great deal of community support, decency and humanity. Unfortunately, however, a small number of those on the political fringes have been seeking to undermine the immense generosity of spirit and have been making attempts to sow division. The sinister action by a small number of individuals must not be allowed to overshadow the overwhelming welcome that has been shown by most people in most communities. I look forward to joining with so many others from across the State on Saturday afternoon for the Ireland for All solidarity march, which will show the extraordinary warmth and generosity people across the county feel for those who have come here. However, issues with the accommodation of people arriving here have arisen. As the Taoiseach acknowledged in his opening remarks, some are now being left without shelter, which is appalling to see. A more co-ordinated response is required from the Government. We in the Labour Party have tried throughout the past year to be constructive in the face of this crisis: offering positive solutions to alleviate pressures on the system and to help support what must be a national, collective effort.

In preparation for today I consulted extensively with the Ukraine Civil Society Forum, the One Foundation, those co-ordinating the front-line community response, and others to try as best I can to see what front-line responders require as well as what those who have come here themselves seek. There are three headings under which we need to see a more centralised and co-ordinate response from the Government. The first is information. The second is the provision of accommodation and the co-ordination of that effort. The third is community support.

The information vacuum has been exploited by a small number of sinister actors. We have seen a lack of a central message from the Government on the benefits of inward migration, the reality of the conflicts and the brutality that so many are fleeing to come here. What we need to see is the roll-out of a national information campaign, as we saw during the Covid pandemic. That was done successfully by the State to counter the myths and disinformation about vaccines that were being spread. We had a very successful vaccination programme in Ireland as a result of that. Let us see that level of public information campaign rolled out now on refugees and migration and the benefits of inward migration to Ireland.

As part of that information, we need a clearer channel of communication with the Opposition. In October, the Tánaiste confirmed to me, in his then role of Taoiseach, that he would engage formally with Opposition leaders and spokespersons on the response to war in Ukraine. I welcomed that, but we have not seen the sorts of regular briefings with Opposition leaders and spokespersons that we had during the Covid-19 pandemic, which were so useful and valuable in ensuring cross-party support and information channels. We have not seen the necessary level of engagement with the Opposition in the way that would be so important in ensuring that we can support the Government and all of those involved in the collective effort to provide accommodation and supports to various communities. There is a lack of a communication channel.

In my constituency of Dublin Bay South, we have consistently called for a stronger and more coherent information channel. My three Labour Party councillors, Mary Freehill, Dermot Lacey, and Kevin Donoghue, and I all want to engage with the Government on this in our local area. We often find out about the provision of new accommodation on an ad hocbasis. It would be better if there was a central point of communication.

That brings me to the second point about co-ordination. This is something the Ukraine Civil Society Forum has consistently sought. We want to ensure there would be a person in government appointed as a central point of co-ordination. We know the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, under the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has taken the lead and done a significant amount. I pay tribute to all public servants, not just in that Department but across Departments – civil servants and public servants who have done immense work to ensure supports for those fleeing conflict. I also pay tribute to the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, whom we know was appointed in December. We welcomed that appointment. What we have seen since then, in particular with the letters from the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to other Departments, is a lack of support for the Department with responsibility for integration from other Departments, in particular the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which should be stepping up, because as we know accommodation is the single biggest crunch point. We should also see other Departments stepping up much more clearly.

It is great to see such a strong presence from Ministers here today for this debate, but why have we not seen it more clearly at a national level until now? I raised this yesterday with the Taoiseach. Why do we not appoint a Minister of State with specific responsibility for housing refugees and international protection applicants? The Taoiseach suggested there were logistical difficulties with that. Let us see a reallocation of roles among Ministers of State to enable that to happen. We need a central-point person. Like other Opposition Members, I have been consistently calling for a channel of communication to which we can send suggestions for sites and premises in our constituency. We engaged with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage last April when he asked Opposition parties to suggest vacant housing sites which could be used to house those coming here from Ukraine and other countries on a temporary basis. We compiled a list of sites in conjunction with our local representatives on this but we do not get the necessary feedback, for example, on Baggot Street hospital and on Jurys Hotel in Ballsbridge. I have people coming to me in my constituency offering sites and suggestions and we need a central point to which that can be fed.

On this issue too, it is not just about co-ordination, it is about capacity. I pay tribute to those in IPAS who are doing their very best in the face of this unprecedented challenge. We hear that IPAS appears to lack the capacity to take up offers that are being made to it for the provision of housing. We saw Daniel Murray's report in the Business Post. Not one of 300 properties offered by the HSE in recent times was taken up. RTÉ reported today that buildings are being put forward which are deemed unsuitable but we are not being told why. Why can Baggot Street hospital not be refurbished? It is a big site that could be used to provide temporary and emergency accommodation, so we need to see that level of co-ordinated response from the Government.

The third point I briefly want to make is about community supports. I very much welcome the community fund the Government has announced, but let us push at EU level for a cohesion fund. I raised this with Roberta Metsola when she spoke here in these Houses. We need community supports to be provided at EU level so that we can ensure that communities welcoming refugees and those seeking protection are themselves given the necessary supports and services to ensure everyone will get the accommodation and ancillary support they need.

Finally, I wish to stress our history as a nation of emigrants, and my own personal history as a child of immigrants means that we all need to work together to emphasise the positive benefits of inward migration. We are crying out for skilled workers in so many sectors. We have skills shortages and labour shortages in hospitals, building sites and the hospitality sector. Let us increase and enhance the legal routes for migration here to ensure we can harness the skills of those who are here. Let us harness the skills of those who are already here and reduce the waiting time for people in the international protection system before they are allowed to legally work. Let us ensure we remove any unnecessary barriers to seeking work for all of the Ukrainians. Many of the Ukrainians whom I met have such enormous skills and talents. They must be facilitated and supported in every way to work and be helped to enrich our country and make us a better and more inclusive society.

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