Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to provide some brief remarks. The timing of the debate is appropriate, now that we are approaching the first anniversary of the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

It has, as we all know, unleashed a terrible humanitarian crisis. Millions of people have been displaced from their home and country. Ireland and many other countries around the world, especially our neighbours in Europe, are having to accommodate very large number of people seeking, first and foremost, protection. We should be very clear as to where the responsibility for all of this lies; it lies with Vladimir Putin and his regime. It was a completely unjustified and unprovoked invasion of a neighbouring, sovereign country in the form of Ukraine.

When we look at the number of people who have come here from Ukraine, over that short period of less than a year, it is quite remarkable that almost 75,000 people have come to Ireland to seek safety, shelter and protection. We acknowledge that represents an enormous challenge for all of us in society. We are not saying for a moment that we have got everything right. We acknowledge that it has placed real pressure on public services and, of course, most particularly in the area of accommodation where we already had a shortage. The priority is to make sure we provide the basic needs of people who come here seeking safety and security.

In the round, the Irish people can be enormously proud of our collective efforts as a nation. We have seen sports clubs, schools and community support groups open their doors and their hearts to provide essential support and céad míle fáilte to people who have come here. Government has never sought to pitch one group against another, or say that one group is competing for resources against another. Thankfully, we have an economy that is in good shape overall and our public finances allow us to make provision to meet the needs of the people who are coming here. That is what we have done in so many different forms in the past year or so. We will continue to do that. It does not mean we do not have the resources to look after people who have been here for a longer period of time or, indeed, people who were born in Ireland.

I want to say a word about the role of international financial institutions in the work that is ongoing and the work that lies ahead. Ireland, as a shareholder in these bodies, accepts its responsibility to play a leading role in meeting the needs in Ukraine and the enormous task that lies ahead with regard to reconstruction. The European Investment Bank, EIB, which is the EU's bank, plays an important role. Last year, it oversaw an emergency Ukraine solidarity package, encompassing the provision of immediate financial support of almost €2 billion to Ukrainian authorities and the repurposing of infrastructure project commitments to accelerate the delivery of an additional €1.3 billion.

In order for Ukraine to recover and for people to return home, if they so choose, it is essential that the infrastructure of the country is rebuilt and, when conditions permit, that reconstruction happens as quickly as possible. Attention will turn, when this war ends, and it will end at some point, to the enormous bill for reconstructing Ukraine. I recently met with the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, EBRD. That bank is appropriately placed to play a leading role in the reconstruction effort of Ukraine. Ireland will be an important part of that process over the period ahead. I was impressed by the briefing I received from the president about the breadth of plans on which the EBRD is working, to assist the people of Ukraine in restoring the country's infrastructure.

The truth is that some of the essential works the EBRD is funding currently, in areas such as water infrastructure and electricity provision, are being blown up as quickly as they are being repaired. However, it has to continue to step in to repair that vital infrastructure, or else civic order will completely break down and the country will become unlivable for the people who remain. It approved a war-in-Ukraine EBRD resilience package last year, covering areas such as energy, security, nuclear safety and municipal services, trade, finance and liquidity for SMEs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. I assure the House that the Government will continue to play its part, at an EU level, with the EIB and the EBRD, to do all that we can to support Ukrainian people in the long journey that lies ahead.

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