Pressures remain despite 3,000 new units to house Ukrainian refugees

Refugees have been sleeping on floors in Red Cow Hotel due to lack of beds

Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD meets Ukrainian arrivals Diana Ikonnikova and Iryna Brunova and their pet dogs on a visit to the Millstreet Emergency Accomodation Centre in April. Picture: Eamon Ward

The Government will be under pressure to accommodate Ukrainian refugees arriving here in the coming months despite the rollout of 3,000 extra units, the Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman has said.

The Cabinet sub-committee on Ukraine is to meet later on Monday to discuss housing options for the thousands of people who have arrived in Ireland fleeing the war.

Mr O'Gorman said the Government has been able to lengthen "a significant number" of hotel contracts to house those arriving in the country.

"The Department of Housing will be providing an update in terms of the additional accommodation units they're working on to bring forward and that's going to be really important," he said.

"There's about 3,000 units proposed. That will be coming on stream in the next number of months and that's going to be really important in terms of ensuring that we can provide shelter and security to Ukrainians coming here, but also those seeking international protection."

Lack of beds

Over the weekend it emerged that some asylum seekers are being forced to sleep on the floor of a ballroom in Dublin's Red Cow Hotel because of a lack of beds.

Mr O'Gorman said: "Over this summer, we're definitely going to be under pressure, and we are under pressure now. We've seen that in the pictures that have come out over the weekend.

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"None of that is indicative of the welcome, the response that we'd like to be giving to people coming here fleeing persecution and seeking international protection."

He told Newstalk Breakfast: "We've had to put in place emergency measures in the Red Cow when people first arrive in Ireland, they may be there for two, three, four days, maybe while we source that accommodation for them.

"Depending on the numbers that arrive in that particular day, we can be forced to rely on that."