Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and agreeing to facilitate this discussion. This first came to our attention last week when there was a proposal on the Order of Business to approve this motion without debate, and I simply do not believe that is satisfactory. It is not the way we should conduct our business in Seanad Éireann. I thank Orla Murray in the Leader's office for taking on board the concerns about the motion expressed by our group. The timeframe is very tight. Tomorrow is the deadline to notify the EU about Ireland's commitment to opt in or opt out.

While I support the proposal, it is important that we have meaningful engagement in what is the revising Chamber of the Oireachtas for legislation. I thank the Minister of State's officials for proactively engaging with me over the past few days. I submitted a considerable number of questions to them and they came back to me in a very timely and professional manner with comprehensive responses. That has made my job today much easier and indicates to me that the Minister of State's Department and staff are totally on top of this issue.

I fully support the motion. We are either in the European club or we are not. This proposal is something that has been driven by the European Commission and its member states. There are exceptions within the European Union, but they are for national parliaments and I will not spend my time going into them today.

I take this opportunity to speak about Ukraine. Anyone who listened to "Morning Ireland" today heard a representative of the Ukrainian community speak about the temporary protection afforded to them by the European Union and Ireland. We now know that over 100,000 Ukrainian citizens have been granted temporary protection by our country via an agreement put in place by the European Union. I commend the European Union and Government on taking on and supporting that initiative. Since the beginning of 2024, the coalition Government has made significant changes to the benefits Ukrainian refugees are eligible for, and that is the reality.

There is a significant reduction in the benefits for those in State support, accommodation allowance moving from €220 to €38.80 per week is being put in place for new arrivals. That is a challenge and in itself will warrant people to look for jobs. These people are bright, highly intelligent and highly capable with huge sets of skills and experiences and can bring a great deal to our economy and to the European economy. The one thing that most people who represent the Ukrainian community in Ireland will tell you is the barrier of language. If the language barrier was to be overcome, these very bright, able, capable people would be able to travel across the member states of the European Union which are in agreement with this transitional arrangement, and that is also a good thing.

Refugees are often regarded as a burden and that European countries are urged to share by accepting their quota. Some EU member states are accused of waving through asylum seekers so that they become someone else's problem. That is the reality of it. That idea had been put forward by some who are hostile to refugees. Remember that refugees can often arrive destitute, in need of counselling and with little knowledge of the native language, of the English language or of another European language. That presents those refugees with problems.

Ukrainians here in Ireland want to find employment and want to learn to navigate an unfamiliar environment. They want to find accommodation and avail of integration services. They want to pay their way and we need to get that message out. Ukrainians want to use their skill sets and learn new ones. They want language lessons to improve their chances of work and to fully engage with community life that will enable them to support their children and build on their relationships within our community and across the European Union. That, again, goes back to this important measure.

Innovation, support, and employment opportunities here and across the Union have the potential to increase autonomy, dignity and economic benefits leading to better results for everyone. On that basis, I fully support this proposal.

It is also important to remember that during the temporary protection period which is ongoing and may be extended again - it is under review - that all EU member states "must"- this is from the European guidelines in this regulation - afford access to suitable accommodation, access to social welfare medical care, access to education for children under 18, and, finally, the legal right to access employment. This initiative will do that and will facilitate that happening. I commend the Minister of State on this motion and I fully support it. I again thank the Minister of State and his staff for facilitating this engagement in Seanad Éireann today.