Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commiserate with the people of Ukraine who have gone through so much and I welcome the visitors to the House today. I do not know whether they are still here. They are welcome to the Dáil to see what the people here are saying and thinking about.

I am glad that Ireland has done its best for the Ukrainian people. Hotels provided accommodation and all the necessary facilities for the Ukrainian people. We have to especially thank the schools and teachers who at very short notice accepted children into their schools and did their best. It was difficult because many of them did not speak English and it was a burden, but they also helped schools to remain open and keep the number of teachers in rural places. In other places, maybe they were overcrowded, but everyone did their best for them. There is no doubt that they have suffered a great deal. Thousands have been killed and thousands have been displaced. There is humanity in each and every one of us, and we are sad to see that happen.

Something similar happened in Ireland more than 800 years ago. Our people suffered a lot until the culmination of the events that took place between 1916 and 1922, when we gained independence for most of our country. We are still without the very important Six Counties.

Ireland has played its part, perhaps better than some bigger countries with larger populations and greater finances, such as France and so on, that are situated much closer to Ukraine. For one reason or another, we seemed to accept around 120,000 people. That is a lot. They are welcome, especially as many of them are working. Some others are not, and they must be encouraged to work now and play their part. It would not be fair to ask people to leave or move their children who are now in schools and have friends. It would not be fair at this stage to force them to leave where they are, but we need them to work and play their part and for whatever benefits they get, like anyone in Ireland getting benefits, they have to be means tested, accept that and pay their taxes like all of us.

We have suffered a lot in that time as well. We did not lose lives, but the country has suffered a great deal financially. We have paid €5 billion or so to accommodate these people. All I ever asked for is that the same concessions they have related to renting houses be given to Irish people who are homeless and having severe difficulty accessing homes or houses.

We must remember that the cost of fuel has gone up and has stayed up consistently and many people are suffering who have to travel, including those in the transport industry and other sectors. We see diesel and petrol prices have gone up from about €1.20 to €1.80 and more in places. Green diesel was 40 cent per litre and is now around €1.30 per litre. That is savage. We are paying more for electricity now than any other country in Europe because we need gas for electricity.

What is important to us - Europe will say it must build up its defence forces and so forth - is our neutrality. I would hate to think that this would trigger our removal from being neutral and cause us to join a European army. People are very worried about that. I see the Minister of State shaking his head. I hope it will not happen. That is why I mention it. We saw how de Valera stood up to Winston Churchill at the time of the Second World War. We prided ourselves on being neutral and we must stay neutral. In no way are we able to confront or take on forces from anywhere. We are better off staying neutral. It has served us well for more than 80 years. Neutrality is important to the people of Ireland. I ask the Minister of State not to forget that.

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