Oireachtas to hear of 'varying standards' of accommodation offered to Ukrainian refugees

Ukranians have been arriving in Ireland as they are fleeing the Russian invasion which commenced just over a year ago. Picture: AP

An immigrant support organisation is to raise concerns at an Oireachtas committee about the “varying standards” of accommodation being offered to Ukrainians.

Advocacy group, Nasc, will also tell TDs and Senators that there is a “lack of oversight and accountability” when issues emerge at premises and will call for the health watchdog (Hiqa) to carry out inspections and for a complaints mechanism for refugees.

Charities and representatives groups working with migrants will appear at the Oireachtas committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth today, Tuesday.

Brian Collins of Nasc will tell the committee that although relevant government agencies have been working to source accommodation, these efforts have “fallen short” which has resulted in international protection applicants being “left to sleep in the street". 

“This is unprecedented. It is both a breach of the law and our moral obligation to people who may have experienced torture and trauma before making their way to Ireland for safety,” Mr Collins will say.

“Turning to those fleeing Ukraine, while the overall response of the government and Irish communities is to be commended, Nasc is concerned by the varying standards of accommodation available to beneficiaries of temporary protection.

“There appears to be a lack of oversight and accountability when problems emerge and there is a real need for standards and a clear complaints mechanism in this area.

“We also recommend that Hiqa is mandated to carry out inspections of accommodation for beneficiaries of Temporary Protection.”

There are currently 183 asylum seekers without State provided accommodation; 17 new arrivals in recent days were not offered a place to stay.

However, more people who initially were not offered a place have since been offered accommodation with that number increasing to 247.

Mr Collins will also tell the committee how communities need to be engaged with and resourced to deal with refugees arriving in their areas where appropriate.

“Unfortunately, we have seen that far-right elements are becoming more prominent as they seek to exploit genuine concerns which communities may have in relation to services- schools, GPs, etc.

“We believe the government needs to be careful in the language used when speaking about these issues and should demonstrate leadership and compassion towards those who arrive to Ireland seeking protection.”

There will also be calls for resources to be urgently put in place to deliver on the White Paper on ending direct provision. Nasc will be seeking an updated timeline for implementation of the recommendations in the White Paper from the government.

In the meantime, the advocacy group is asking the government to introduce a number of measures to improve the standard of living in direct provision including extending child benefit to children living in the system and ensuring that where possible cooking facilities are available.

“We recommend that the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) is mandated to inspect emergency accommodation for International Protection applicants as well as direct provision centres, to ensure that their oversight is meaningful and effective.”