Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will touch on the long-term strategic plan to accommodate refugees, and Government’s plans. We had the key stakeholders from the tourism and hospitality sector before the Oireachtas committee yesterday. Tourism operators cannot be asked to be the primary accommodation providers to the detriment of the broader industry. Currently, 32% of tourism beds have been given over to Government for non-tourism purposes. This will have a knock-on effect on downstream tourism businesses, such as restaurants, attractions and inbound operators. We need a more balanced approach to housing refugees, including the use of vacant dwellings, unused buildings and state institutions. There is a huge opportunity there. The Minister referred to 200 modular units being built to house 800 Ukrainians. We need ten times more. We need over 2,000 modular units. I ask for a broader approach to this. When will a strategic plan be published to ensure such an approach?

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