Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for taking these statements.We need to begin by remembering just how horrific it is that today in Ukraine, particularly in cities such as Mariupol, there are people who are hungry to the point of the risk of death. There are people without water. There are people trapped in buildings. This is all due to the oppression and the absolutely horrific, incalculable infliction of suffering by Putin and his crew in their decisions to go into Ukraine. At all times, it behoves us to make sure in our responses and as we discuss how we are responding to it that we never normalise it. We should never allow it to drop from the very first item on the news because it is such a horrific assault on democracy and on a country.

The people who are coming here, the vast majority being women and children, are going to find themselves in a place where they are waiting for bad news. I cannot imagine how horrific that would be. Anything that we do is well deserved and well warranted in our standing against Putin's oppression and our standing with people who are going forward and making the ultimate sacrifice while their wives, sisters, mothers and children escape. A population has been weaponised in this flood of refugees, which is a deliberate tactic of war.

Perhaps because of my unique involvement and insight in all of this, I have had the opportunity to speak to people in Ukraine and to try to assist them in moving with their families to Ireland. Many do not want to leave Ukraine. They believe this is short and if they can endure for the next couple of months some sort of normality will be returned. It is difficult to cope with those conversations when one looks from the safety of Ireland and thinks that even if that is the case, the rebuilding of cities will take an exceptionally long time. We are in this for a much longer haul. I would exhort us as a nation to look at the cost of flights, as they are very expensive. We should look at some intervention in that regard. I know there is potentially a longer-term plan for if there is mass exodus, but what critical point has to arrive for us to intervene with airlines to assist people in leaving?

I am very proud of the accommodation and humanitarian responses from the Irish people. It is no less, in a way, than I would expect. That has been exhibited over decades of absolute generosity in our own terms, always to exhort the generosity. That is done very well.

Given that we have such a large volume of women and children, obviously my mind goes to childcare, even for just the respite of women being able to meet and speak, not even work - but obviously they need to work at some point. The counselling psychologist in me says that when they arrive and take a breath and see the Irish media and are exposed to the perspective from Ireland, I think only then will the trauma truly hit. The fear of those families left behind will only hit then. If we can mobilise community centres and communal spaces for women and children to gather and speak, there will be a therapeutic value to that in and of itself. There is value in being able to discuss that shared experience, even if we do not initially have or are working on having counselling services available. Certainly, creating that space where people can come together is important.

I am mindful of all that the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and the Department of Social Protection have done. The Minister’s Department has been exceptional and the Minister has shown exceptional leadership. I thank him for that. Does the Minister have enough people for all he is doing? If I were to call on anything from my own Government colleagues it would be to support and ensure the Minister is further resourced because it is certainly well channelled.

Lastly, I wish to congratulate the Red Cross. Liam O’Dwyer has done an exceptional job there. The Red Cross has been wonderful, as well as the auctioneers and estate agents who are assisting around the country. The level of voluntary support is just exceptional and every day reveals more and more.