Paying Irish families who take in refugees 'probably isn't' something Government will do

Leo Varadkar said the Government are asking people to offer rooms for charitable reasons, rather than profit

A group of Ukrainian refugees who arrived to Ireland over the weekend pictured at a ceremony at County Hall, Swords, where the Ukrainian flag was raised outside the Fingal Council offices in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

The government are not planning on paying Irish people who take in Ukrainian refugees, the Tánaiste has said.

Leo Varadkar said that there had been some discussion about funding Irish families who take in Ukranian people, however, the government are asking people to offer rooms for charitable reasons, rather than profit.

“There has been some discussion, and the sense of the moment is it probably isn't something we're going to do,” the Tánaiste said on Sunday.

“What we're really saying to people is that this is an altruistic thing. Not something we would intend to pay people to do. We just don't know how the numbers are going to come. 

"I can't rule out anything in the future, but at least for the moment, we've 20,000 people that are offering accommodation to people coming from Ukraine. 

Nobody has asked for money at this stage and what we would say at this stage really is that if we do have money, or people want to donate money, that's the best thing.

The Government doesn't envisage putting a cap on the numbers of people coming from Ukraine.

“The way the European regulation works is that anybody coming from Ukraine is being granted temporary protection in all 27 countries in the European Union, and no cap is being put on it,” he added.

“But it is going to be a big challenge. You know, providing for accommodation of 10,000 people have arrived now, we expect 20,000 by the end of the month and to be more than that in April. That's going to be an enormous challenge.

“We're gonna do the best we can and I think we have a responsibility and a desire as a nation to help people who've been affected by the war in Ukraine and also to try and bring peace to that country.

“That's why as the Western world as the democratic world, we're insisting that there must be a ceasefire, and there can be no easing of any of the sanctions on Russia until such time as we have peace treaty.” 

Mr Varadkar revealed over the weekend that he and his partner Matt Barrett have registered with the Irish Red Cross offering to take in refugees from Ukraine.

The Tánaiste said on Saturday accommodation will be “the biggest challenge” facing the state with talks ongoing now with the Army about Gormanstown Camp.

“Accommodation is going to be the biggest challenge, that is fair to say,” he said, speaking at Dublin Airport on his return from Columbia.

He said his partner registered their house about three weeks ago with the Red Cross offering the spare bedroom for at least six months.