Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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327. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of the supports that his Department has provided for Ukraine and for Ukrainian people since February 2022, whether in Ukraine or within the State; the number of people supported where relevant; the estimated cost and value of the support where available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8870/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has no role in the provision of direct supports to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine (BoTPs) but is supporting the whole of Government response to the humanitarian situation that has arisen as a consequence of the invasion. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is the Department with lead responsibility for the provision of accommodation for BoTPs. My Department has taken responsibility for some elements in order to provide support and assistance to the DCEDIY.

One of these measures includes the call for unoccupied homes, which is being led by local authorities, with oversight and funding from my Department. Under this programme, local authorities will accept offers of houses, apartments or holiday homes for temporary accommodation, liaise with owners to assess suitability, and arrange for their use by Ukrainian people and families.

Furthermore my Department is continuing to develop and oversee work under the Emergency Refurbishment (Ukraine) project, which involves the review of properties identified as potentially suitable for refurbishment for use as multi-occupancy accommodation for the purposes of accommodating Ukrainians. The process is ongoing to identify, examine and validate buildings that could be refurbished to accommodate larger groups of people. In cases where buildings identified as vacant do not require refurbishment, my Department notifies DCEDIY, so that the appropriate follow up can take place.

My Department is also assisting the Office of Public Works (OPW) to identify sites that may be suitable for rapid build homes to help accommodate Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs), on behalf of DCEDIY.