Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak and outline the work of my Departments. As of this week, the Department of Social Protection has issued 74,458 PPS numbers to people who have arrived here fleeing the war in Ukraine. To put that in context, it is the equivalent of the entire population of County Cavan arriving into the country. The challenge of supporting that huge influx of people in a short space of time is immense. As both Minister for Social Protection and Rural and Community Development, my Departments have played a central role in what has been a whole-of-government response.

The role of the Department of Social Protection is threefold: to provide people with PPS numbers, which are a key requirement in accessing public services; to assist with the provision of income support and to provide information and support on employment and training options. People arriving from Ukraine under the temporary directive have been granted the status to avail of the full range of income supports and employment services from my Department. Some 34,627 people are in receipt of an income support payment from my Department. Child benefit is being paid to 13,039 families in respect of 18,210 children. Some 28,287 additional needs payments were awarded to support applicants arriving from Ukraine in 2022, at a cost of €4.5 million and more than 90% of these payments were providing for clothing.

My Department's employment support services are available to help those who have arrive in Ireland. To the end of January, employment services staff have engaged with 21,500 people. I am pleased to say that more than 13,248 people from Ukraine are now in paid employment with 5,493 employers. In fact, there are some Ukrainians now working in the Department of Social Protection. I have to say they are contributing considerably to breaking down language barriers for people who are coming in to the country.

We know that as well as financial assistance, people need to feel welcome and to begin to integrate into their new communities. The Department of Rural and Community Development has provided funding of €10 million in 2023 for local development companies delivering supports for people arriving from Ukraine. This funding helps link people to all of the services and supports available in the areas where they are settling.

A range of practical measures has been provided to help integrate new communities into Irish life, including English-language classes in community settings. Furthermore, the community recognition fund aims to support the development of community infrastructure and facilities, in recognition of the contribution being made by communities throughout the country in welcoming and hosting a significant number of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries. It aims to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community, with a view to recognising the contribution these communities are making to our national response. The Government has allocated funding of €50 million to local authorities, based on the number of Ukrainians and international protection applicants located there.

A key principle of the fund is the need for the local authorities to engage with impacted communities before any funding proposals are submitted to my Department for approval. The projects will be delivered in these towns, villages and communities which have the highest level of new arrivals and a clear need for investment. I look forward to receiving the funding proposals from local authorities and seeing the real difference this fund will make on the ground in the local communities.

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