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

There is only one thing by which we are being led and that is the reality around the world and the realities on the ground. More people are on the move now than at any time since the Second World War. Millions of people have left Ukraine and people are leaving Africa and the Middle East for lots of different reasons such as poverty, conflict and war. Approximately 1.5 million or 2 million people entered the European Union irregularly last year.

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It is not a surprise that 1% or 2% of them might come to Ireland.

I am proud that we have welcomed 100,000 Ukrainians to Ireland. I do not think we will regret that in ten or 20 years time. I think it reflects very well on our society. Approximately 80,000 Ukrainians are still here. I appreciate that when the population increases, it puts pressure on services. What we have tried to do around healthcare is provide a visiting GP service so that it does not put additional pressure on existing practices. We have provided additional resources to schools as well. Where we can, we have put in transport. I totally appreciate that in some places, that still has not been done or is still in process.

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