Ireland to choose financial contribution rather than accepting more asylum seekers

Leo Varadkar said that Ireland's support for Ukraine was full and financial in line with Irish neutrality. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Ireland is more likely to pay out additional funds rather than take more asylum seekers, the Taoiseach has said.

Speaking in Davos, Leo Varadkar said that Ireland has an option under an EU pact on immigration to pay rather than accept additional people.

“At the moment we’re having a huge difficulty providing accommodation to people who come to Ireland seeking international protection, I think it is more likely we would decide to make a financial contribution than to accept more people,” he said.

Asked whether he would support Ireland giving arms to Ukraine, Mr Varadkar said that Ireland's support for Ukraine was full and financial in line with Irish neutrality.

He said that next month's European Council meeting must agree a €50 billion support package for Ukraine.

Speaking as he left the World Economic Forum, Mr Varadkar said that the mood generally was more optimistic worldwide but that the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza meant that world security was cause for "a lot of concern".

He said that there may be "other flashpoints".

Speaking later in Galway, Mr Varadkar said that it was not government policy to repurpose student accommodation for asylum seekers.

Mr Varadkar said that the Government "doesn't want to see" occupied student accommodation turned into asylum centres.

"It's not our policy to repurpose student accommodation or nursing homes for people seeking international protection or Ukrainians," he said.

"There may be limited circumstances where that make sense - where it's been out of use for a long time or a replacement has been built.

"But, generally speaking, we don't want student accommodation being repurposed for that use."