Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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516. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on when a facility (details supplied) providing accommodation to Ukrainian refugees can expect to be paid outstanding invoices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15140/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department has engaged over 750 properties to provide accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. In line with the Department’s commitment to substantially clear the backlog at the end of 2022, I temporarily re-assigned staff from other parts of the Department in December, doubling the size of the payments unit. The enlarged team approved more than 100 million euros worth of payments. This increased commitment has been repeated and supplemented by outsourcing and in March to date we have paid more than €120 million for Ukraine accommodation and related charges.

My Department is prioritising maintaining a practice of more timely payments, including providing more resources to address any issues. Any delays in making payments are deeply regretted and my Department is according this issue very high priority.

I am advised by my officials that the outstanding invoices for the provider referred to by the Deputy are being processed as priority, with payments expected to issue in the coming weeks, pending final checks.

The delay in payment is due to the large volume of invoices being received by my Department. Additional resources have been assigned within my Department, in addition to outsourcing of some tasks to accelerate processing. The volume of payments issuing is steadily growing. My Department will continue to press on to eliminate the backlog while ensuring appropriate governance is in place to safeguard the proper spending of Exchequer funding.