Taoiseach: We can and must do more for Ukrainian refugees
Micheál Martin has said that while Ireland has been very helpful in its response to the plight of Ukrainian refugees, we can and have to do more for them.
On a visit to the new refugee centre in Millstreet, Co Cork, the Taoiseach was asked if we can accommodate the 25,000 Ukrainian refugees already here, and how far are we from having to put them up in tents.
He didn’t directly answer the question, but instead pointed to the new Millstreet centre describing it as an example of Ireland’s “innovative” approach to the refugee housing crisis.
When pressed on the issue again, and asked if Ireland has the capacity to accommodate more refugees, he replied: “I want an end to the war and we have to keep the pressure on Putin, not on ourselves.
There are growing concerns about Ireland’s ability to accommodate refugees.
Just last Thursday, the reported that only 159 Ukrainian refugees had moved into accommodation pledged by the public since the war broke out, although that figure is set to increase to 900 in "days".
Efforts to match beneficiaries from short term and emergency accommodation to suitable pledges is under way and the department expects numbers of moved beneficiaries to increase over the coming days.
Although there have been about 25,000 pledges to the Irish Red Cross since February 25, 3,800 — 16% — have been withdrawn by families who changed their minds.
This has led to suggestions that people could be paid to house refugees.
When asked if he intends on assigning one person or department to handle Ireland’s response to the refugee crisis, Mr Martin replied: "This has to be multi-departmental within government. In two months an awful lot has been achieved, it’s quite unprecedented coming out of the Covid situation as well.
“Yes, we can do more in terms of coordinating. We are still not out of the emergency phase of this in respect of what has happened.”
The Taoiseach was asked if Ireland is going to have to put a cap on the number of refugees it takes from Ukraine.
He replied: "We're not contemplating and I'm not talking about caps."
He gave his reaction to visiting the approximately 100 Ukrainian families being housed in the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet.
“I’ve been very moved to meet with so many of the Ukrainian residents here, so many families who have flown the war in Ukraine and one cannot but be struck by their basic, simple gratitude articulated so eloquently and sincerely.
“The sense of peace and safety and security they have here now for their children — that’s very clear in the conversations we had.”
Mr Martin said some of his conversations were with mothers of children who had spent weeks living in basements in silence and with the lights off for fear of being found by Russian soldiers.
“So, in the first instance, Ireland is offering respite from that war, from that trauma," he said.
Mr Martin said one cannot lose sight of the fact that over 25,000 people have come into the country in the space of less than two months.
“If you look at historically, since 1999, maybe 100,000 refugees or asylum seekers have come into the country," he added.
“So, this is unprecedented, against an unprecedented war in terms of its sheer targeting of civilian residential zones, levelling of towns, creating of terror."
He added: “Now we have more to do and there is much to be done but in two months Ireland has responded well and I want to thank the public servants across all of our agencies, across all of our government departments.”
