First contract to deliver 500 modular homes for Ukrainians due in January, says minister

Patrick O'Donovan, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, said the modular homes project remains on track. Picture: John Allen

The Government has rejected claims its modular homes programme to house Ukrainian refugees is behind schedule, even though it will be the New Year before the first ones are ready.

The first contract to deliver 500 modular homes for people from Ukraine fleeing the Russian invasion will be completed in early 2023, the Office of Public Works (OPW) minister has said.

Minister of State Patrick O'Donovan rejected criticism from Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion that the programme was behind schedule, eight months after the conflict began. 

He said it was always the timeline for these homes to be on stream in the New Year, saying the Government has fast-tracked various complex planning processes to make it happen. 

We hope to see the completion of the first in the first months, January and February, of 2023, which is actually on schedule from the original plan.

He said the homes will not all be sited at Defence Forces barracks, but also on land provided by other public bodies, including the HSE.

To date, Ireland has accommodated up to 56,000 men, women, and children from Ukraine, with thousands of children in primary and post-primary school, and also over 10,000 Ukrainians working.

However, the Government has warned that refugees could end up sleeping on the streets due to the accommodation shortage.

Mr O'Donovan defended the Government's handling of the situation, saying 60,000 people, equivalent of 1% of the population, have arrived in Ireland since February.

"We're not the only European country that are experiencing huge influxes of this nature. Seven million people have been displaced internally in Ukraine, and millions have left the country," he told RTÉ's The  Week In Politics.

"I don't think anybody saw seven million people moving out of Ukraine last February.

"And it isn't only Ireland, Belgium is under serious pressure.

"The Netherlands are under pressure, all the Baltic countries and eastern Europe.

We've placed a contract with a principal contractor and work is starting in the initial 500 houses that has now been decided to grow by the Government to an additional 200.

"On top of that, we've placed orders for 250 houses with the subcontractors, so we're on track to deliver."

He said the houses will be on sites provided by various public bodies including the Office of Public Works, local authorities, the HSE, the Department of Defence, and others.

Ms Funchion criticised the Government's handling of the accommodation crisis that is facing refugees arriving here from Ukraine.

Also speaking on RTÉ, Ms Funchion said that the Government should look at proposals from NGOs to help alleviate pressure on the system.

We're nearly coming up on a year later and at this stage there is very poor planning, if any planning, by Government

"There has been some really good recommendations, for example, from the Irish Refugee Council in relation to 60,000 vacant holiday homes looking at if a deal can be done with people who own those homes," Ms Funchion added.