Ministers agree to reduce welfare and housing rights for Ukrainian refugees

A mural of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the artist Phil Atkinson in Granard, County Longford, Ireland.

The Government will sign off on proposals to cut welfare rates for newly arrived Ukrainian refugees and to impose time limits on their state accommodation.

Government leaders have agreed to a proposal that will see the €220 weekly welfare payment received by those who flee Ukraine cut to just €38.80 per week for those in state-provided accommodation. 

The proposals also include time limiting State-provided accommodation to 90 days before people would be asked to find their own housing or take up pledged housing from homeowners.

Once Ukrainian refugees leave state accommodation centres, they will be able to claim a higher rate of welfare payment, if they qualify.

Those in state accommodation will still be entitled to the full child benefit payment under the new scheme, which will require the passage of legislation in January. 

Children will still be entitled to enrol in schools and will be bussed to alternative schools should they be forced to move.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Ireland is no longer able to indefinitely accommodate people but he indicated that the cut in welfare rates would only apply to those in receipt of state accommodation.

Asked if the measures are aimed at slowing down the numbers arriving here, Mr Varadkar said: "I think it's less about people arriving from Ukraine and more of about what we call secondary movements, people moving from other parts of Western Europe to Ireland having spent some time there."

Mr Varadkar said people are "going to keep coming here" given global events that have sparked movement across the world.

While he acknowledged the housing crisis, the Taoiseach said people fleeing the war in Ukraine, or wars in other parts of the world, don't have "any homes at all, their homes are long gone, their schools are gone".

"They are going to keep coming here. And we need to be realistic and honest with people about that."

The Taoiseach said he is "proud" that Ireland has welcomed around 100,000 people who have fled the war in Ukraine.

But he added: "What we offer people fleeing Ukraine in Ireland should be similar to what's offered in other parts of Western Europe. 

"So in most cases in Western Europe, people are offered accommodation but not indefinitely and if you are being provided with accommodation, food, board and lodging, heat and light by the State, you don't get the full social welfare payments. That's the kind of principle that we're going to apply."

In a statement, the Irish Red Cross hit out at the plans, saying that many Ukrainians simply cannot enter the private rental sector.

"It is clear that the proposed measure is not intended to manage the accommodation crisis in Ireland but to send a message of deterrence to others thinking of travelling to Ireland. Such an approach is a sledgehammer and other solutions should be found," Deirdre Garvey, the Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross said.