Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again thank Deputies for their questions. On the issue of communications, information and engaging with communities, I reassure the House that work is ongoing across Government to intensify and improve communications and community engagement. We should not forget that 84,000 people have been provided with State accommodation in the past year in more than 100 different centres throughout the country. Most of the time, that has worked well. There has been information, communications and broad acceptance by local communities. We acknowledge, however, that in some places it could have been better. County Clare is one of those places where it could have been better in recent weeks. We appreciate that understanding and listening to communities are essential as we accommodate people in communities across the country.

My Department, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and other relevant Departments and stakeholders are developing a more effective method of sharing information with communities. That work is nearing completion. A tender has been issued to assist in this work and is currently being reviewed. The new model will be implemented as soon as possible. Separate to that, party leaders met last evening and confirmed that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and his Department are free to hire additional staff to support him and the Department in their work in engaging with communities.

On the right to work, which was raised by Deputies, and I am conscious we now have labour shortages across the board in Ireland, Ukrainian people, as they are beneficiaries of temporary protection, have the right to work immediately as long as they get a personal public service, PPS, number. Approximately 15,000 are already working. It is different for international protection, IP, applicants. We need to be careful in that regard. Unless a person has been refused permission to stay, he or she can apply for a work permit. I think such an application can now be made after six months. It used to be nine months and used to be impossible. We have a real reluctance in easing that any further because it could be a major pull factor for thousands more people to come to the country and claim international protection. Many people who claim international protection are fleeing war and persecution but many are not. Many are economic migrants who came here and applied for international protection when they ought to have applied for a work permit or work visa but did not. We have to be honest about that, which means making sure that decisions are made quickly and work permits are not issued too easily because that would be a pull factor.

That is something we need to avoid.

As I have said before, when it comes to migration we must be fair and firm in the context of work permits and visas for people who come to work and ensuring that those who come as refugees are treated well, get the opportunities they deserve and are protected. We must also be firm with people who do not follow our rules-based system. We have rules and we will enforce them. We will try to speed up decisions both in favour of and against applicants. When decisions are made against applicants, we want to see more deportation orders. We want people to have confidence that the rules will be applied and implemented.

I am not aware of the office block nearby, but I will let the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and his team know that it is a possibility and should be looked at.

On the community recognition fund, €50 million was allocated last week. It has been well received. I have asked the relevant Ministers to look into the possibility of a second round in a few months' time.

Deputy Bacik asked who is in charge of modular homes. It is the OPW, which is part of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, is specifically working on that. The first one will be available next month. That is a further example of the cross-Government effort to help with the refugee crisis. The OPW, which is neither a part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage nor the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, is working to provide accommodation to people coming from overseas.

It is impossible for me to say whether the far-right is growing. I do not think it is growing in the context of political support. I might be wrong. Perhaps the Garda Commissioner was referring to that or perhaps to the number of protests or to the number of people turning up at those protests, but I do not have those figures to hand.

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