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

It is fair to say the system we have designed was for around 3,000 to 4,000 arrivals per year, and that was based largely on accommodation from private providers. Nobody foresaw the general increase in the applications we now have due to a war. We are in an emergency situation. We have plans - I know the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is working on them - to acquire more State-provided accommodation and to look at where that needs to go in terms of maybe a fairer or a broader distribution across the country. The Taoiseach has asked each Department to come forward with proposals as to what we need to do in areas that have experienced a higher-than-normal number of international applicants or Ukrainian refugees. I fully understand that people are concerned. They might not be able to get a doctor's appointment. I understand the concerns people have. Each Department will come forward with proposals to the Taoiseach in the next week or two so we can deal with this issue.

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