John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my Fine Gael colleagues for their work on this Seanad Private Members’ motion, which we hope is as broad and encompassing as possible in condemning the unacceptable aggression by Russia on Ukraine’s sovereign territory. There is no question that this invasion is an unprovoked attack on Ukraine's people and an outrageous and immoral breach of the most fundamental and basic principles of international law. The atrocities that we have seen throughout Ukraine, not least in Mariupol, are undeniably war crimes.I wholeheartedly hope we will have full cross-party support for this broad motion which endorses the open position Ireland has taken in collaboration with our EU partners to welcome Ukrainian refugees into our country without restriction, and endorses the sanctions taken against Russia to date, while also addressing many other areas of challenge and concern.

I reference the need for cross-party support because it is important to put on the record of the House that while it is a popular thing today to support Ukraine and its people, as recently as December when Russia was amassing hundreds of thousands of troops on Ukraine's border, a certain Opposition party was not forthcoming in support for Ukraine. That party was very much on the side of Russia when it failed to support a European Parliament resolution which condemned the large Russian military build-up, demanded that the Government in Moscow immediately withdrew forces and stopped threatening its neighbouring country and called for increased EU sanctions. Only 69 MEPs out of 705 from across the European Union voted against that resolution. Shamefully, four of those MEPs were Irish, including Sinn Féin's sole MEP, Chris MacManus. While that party today demands the popular thing of removing the Russian ambassador, in 2018 its leader, Deputy McDonald, following the vicious nerve agent attack on a former Russian intelligence officer, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury in England, described the move by the then Fine Gael-led Government to expel the diplomat believed to have been in involved in the attack as demonstrating "a flagrant disregard for Irish neutrality". I say this not to score political points but to put on record the shifting position - albeit I welcome the shift - of the main Opposition party on this vital issue.

There is no question that Ireland has always exhibited a generous spirit in terms of supporting refugees and it is no different when it comes to this crisis. I am sure that generosity of spirit will continue in the months ahead. Donations of goods and services, financial donations to NGOs and community response organisations and more than 20,000 pledges of accommodation to date exemplify what we already know, that the Irish people are never found wanting when it comes to supporting people in their hour of need.

It is important that we level and be honest with people and acknowledge the huge challenges the State faces in meeting the accommodation needs of refugees who seek sanctuary therein. These challenges pale into insignificance when compared with the suffering of the Ukrainian people but up to yesterday, nearly 15,000 refugees from Ukraine had entered Ireland and over 8,000 of those had sought accommodation. We have been doing our best to address that need. All preparations are being ramped up to increase the provision of accommodation through hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast accommodation. Pledges of accommodation by the public are being assessed for suitability, as are State-owned or private properties which may be suitable for short-term accommodation, religious properties and local authority community facilities. The unfortunate reality is that may not be enough. Many hotels are, thankfully, booked out from Easter onwards as a result of our improving Covid circumstances and improvements in our tourism prospects. The State will have to call on everyone who can play a part to do so. To circle that square, there has to be an incentivisation scheme to get as many second-hand and holiday homes into use for Ukrainian refugees as possible. It would be a more cost-effective and appropriate response than dormitory-style accommodation or hotels.

I reiterate what my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, said to the effect that the scenes we are watching on the TV should never become normalised. We should never become desensitised to what we are seeing or the horrors being inflicted on the Ukrainian people. We all hope progress will be made in the peace talks.

I welcome every Ukrainian refugee to Ireland. I believe they will add significantly to our State and I assure them that the Government and the Irish people will do everything in our power to assist them in their hour of need.