Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Until the Cabinet agrees a particular policy, I will not be in a position to go into detail or to talk to the message because that would only cause confusion. This question is a good opportunity to remind the House that we continue to accommodate Ukrainians and international protection applicants. As the Deputy knows, we accommodate Ukrainians primarily in serviced accommodation, but also in the modular accommodation we spoke about a few moments ago. We have also been undertaking a programme of refurbishment of existing buildings and using them. We have also used pledged accommodation through the Irish Red Cross and the vacant homes scheme through local authorities. Some 14,000 people are accommodated through that combined scheme. That is very significant. Almost 20% of Ukrainians are accommodated through that scheme. I know there was a lot of criticism at the start and it was slow to take off but it has really delivered. I acknowledge the work that has been done by the Irish Red Cross and by local authorities to implement that particular scheme. Those elements will be important in giving people options. We have to acknowledge that some hotels will leave this area of accommodation as their contracts run out. The alternatives I have mentioned will give people a means of accommodating themselves in a more independent fashion.

Again, real pressures exist in terms of international protection. We had a dialogue about proposals in Sligo earlier this year. I have always been very clear in my view that as we look to move beyond reliance solely on the private sector, the State has to invest in more State-owned accommodation for international protection applicants. We have to understand that Ireland, like every other European country, will see higher levels of migration in the decade to come.

See this speech in context