Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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451. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the position with social protection payments when a Ukrainian person takes up employment; if, upon commencing employment, they have to pay towards the cost of their accommodation and food which is being provided by the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10082/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Ireland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge from the invasion of Ukraine, coming to over 75,000 people, of which over 55,000 have sought accommodation.

Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, my Department has contracted in excess of 43,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 720 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings.

The priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodation.

Following the Government decision of 28 October 2022, my Department has amended aspects of the accommodation offering for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in Ireland to address equity issues arising and to ensure that it aligns more broadly with the type of offering in other jurisdictions. In particular, the offering provides for the introduction of a requirement for those accommodated in serviced accommodation to pay for meals and other ancillary services. Contracts are negotiated to reflect this change.

Accommodation providers who have renewed contracts with my Department are required to cater for dietary needs of residents appropriately.

The current package of measures in place to accommodate and support Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) was designed as a crisis response on a short-term emergency basis. As the war continues there is a greater likelihood that some of those who have been granted Temporary Protection will seek to remain in the country for the medium to longer term, with arrivals into the State expected to continue.

Therefore, it is now appropriate to consider how the response should evolve to be sustainable and address medium to longer-term issues across all areas of service provision and accommodation in particular. The Government also considered it prudent to ensure broad alignment with other European countries. Given the longer-term nature of the crisis, a shift to a more mainstreamed approach is also more equitable.