Ukrainian refugees will be offered 'accommodation only' and must pay for food

People from Mariupol in eastern Ukraine earlier this year being transported out of the war zone. File Picture: AP

Refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine are to be offered "accommodation only" and will have to pay for their food and day-to-day expenses out of their welfare payments, the Government has agreed.

A plan, which will see refugees made only one offer of suitable accommodation has also been agreed but is being "fleshed out" after Friday's incorporeal Cabinet meeting.

The Government is seeking to speed up the movement of Ukrainian refugees out of hotels and into more community-based accommodation. However, there has been difficulty in getting some of those who fled the Russian invasion to agree to relocated as they are reluctant to be moved out of towns and cities. The Irish Examiner understands that refugees will not be made a second offer of suitable accommodation if the first offer is declined, though how this plan will work in detail has yet to be decided.

Plans to double the payment for people hosting Ukrainian refugees from €400 to €800 have also been approved by ministers. This increased payment will be paid from December 1.

It is understood that a study of how European Union rules governing the treatment of people fleeing Ukraine are enforced around the EU is to be undertaken by the Department of Justice.

Government ministers here believe that other EU members are giving refugees from war-torn Ukraine fewer supports in terms of accommodation and welfare benefits, or that the supports are for shorter periods of time.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee’s department will examine how the temporary protection directive, which governs the rights afforded to Ukrainians here, is applied across various EU countries.

The review, ministers were told, is to ensure that the transposition of the EU directive broadly aligns with other jurisdictions and can support accommodation, income support, and related services equally.

A government statement following the meeting said that 56,000 men, women and children from Ukraine have arrived in Ireland since February with thousands of children now enrolled in primary and secondary schools and more than 10,000 Ukrainians working.

The measures agreed by Cabinet to help with accommodation efforts include:

• Doubling of the recognition payment to €800;
• A €50m community fund to "recognise local efforts"; 
• Expansion of the rapid-build and accommodation refurbishment programme; 
• Maximising the number of places available by allowing for dormitory-style accommodation to avoid any person being turned away; 
• A new state-led vacant homes call. 

Sources said that Friday's moves were in recognition that the war in Ukraine could drag on well into 2023. To that end, a Government statement noted the Cabinet had agreed that a "move from an emergency response to a more mainstreamed approach is appropriate in light of the high numbers of people seeking asylum, the need to maximise all existing capacity, to bring greater consistency and to ensure equity for all those who rely on state supports".

The Government also considered an assessment of future housing needs arising from the population changes prompted by the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland Larysa Garasko told her countrymen and women in a message posted on Telegram that Ireland "does not guarantee to provide accommodation for refugees”.

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the State does have the capacity to meet the needs of those arriving.

"The problem, he said, is we don't have adequate preparation or coordination for the Government's Department responsible.

“Keep in mind there's 60,000 vacant holiday homes across the state,” Mr Ó Broin said.