Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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516. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the services that are provided to Ukrainian refugees at INTREO offices. [17501/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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On 4 March 2022, the Council of the European Union unanimously adopted the implementing decision regarding the Temporary Protection Directive. This means that people arriving from Ukraine under the Temporary Directive have been granted the status to avail of income supports from my Department.

The priority for my Department is the allocation of PPSNs and the provision of immediate financial supports. A fast-track approach in processing these supports has been put in place which includes a simplified decision-making process and quick processing of PPSNs to allow access to public services. People are eligible for financial support initially under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme and will be deemed to have satisfied the Habitual Residence Condition and their means are being assessed as nil. Thereafter arrangements will be made to approve the appropriate primary social welfare payments. We have also arranged for payments such as child benefit to be made within a very short period.

A reception centre has been set up in Dublin Airport where officials from my Department and the Department of Justice are available to meet people fleeing the war in Ukraine. We have also established dedicated Support Centres in Cork Street, Dublin as well as in Cork and Limerick Cities. My Department is working closely with the Department of Justice as well as the International Protection Accommodation Service in these locations and also in Rosslare where services are provided on arrival of each ferry.

PPSN allocation and Income Support is also available through the Intreo Centre and Branch Office network. People may also avail of Employment Support services through the Intreo Centres.

A dedicated webpage has been published on the Department’s website to ensure those arriving from Ukraine are aware of the supports and services available to them. The webpage is entitled ‘Social Welfare supports for those arriving from Ukraine under the EU Temporary Protection Directive’.

The information on the webpage is in Plain English and also in the Ukrainian and Russian languages. It also has a list of the all locations of all Intreo Centres and Branch Offices.