Helen McEntee

Ireland will not cap the number of refugees it accepts even as the Government admits it is facing a struggle to house arriving Ukrainians, the Minister for ...

He added: “It’s not the gold standard, it’s not what we would like to see everybody living in, but we are in a crisis situation. We’re not going to put a cap on the number of people,” Ms McEntee said. Mr O’Gorman said such accommodation is “not the preference” but he expects refugees to be there for a “number of weeks”. “There are people who are looking for it, there are others who aren’t, but I think obviously if we get to a situation where we want to encourage more people to offer up accommodation, that might be an option. “We want to encourage people to come forwards, not to force anybody to have to give up their property or accommodation.” Ireland will not cap the number of refugees it accepts even as the Government admits it is facing a struggle to house arriving Ukrainians, the Minister for Justice has said.

Government anticipated large portion of refugee pledges would fail to materialise, Roderic O'Gorman says. about 11 hours ago. Green Glens Arena, Millstreet, ...

“Most of our Ukrainians are very grateful to Ireland and to Irish people for their kindness. However, she feels that Ukrainians refugees need to be accommodated in a more timely fashion. “It is not the preference. It is not the gold standard. We have put in other supports and there are wrap around supports for Ukrainians living there. That will give us some flexibility coming in to the summer to accommodate people. We have put in wifi. We have to be up-front about that. It is all indoor. “We are looking at sourcing other types of accommodation. It is not tented. Gormanstown is outdoor tents.

Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman earlier said “grouped” accommodation will be a “more substantial part” of housing refugees.

but we are in a crisis situation,” O’Gorman said, adding that they had reached the limit for other forms of accommodation “particularly as we come into the summer season”. But we have to think about how to accommodate our new arrivals quicker,” she said. He said: “We’re looking at this on a number of levels in terms of short-term possibilities. We’re not going to put a cap on the number of people,” McEntee said. She said that the Ukrainian Prime Minister asked the Taoiseach “to be a leader” in the process of Ukraine’s application to be an EU member. O’Gorman said that measures taken in other countries like large sports stadia being decked out with camp beds are “going to be part of the solution, I believe”, and that tents at Gormanstown is a “contingency” measure in the event of a large influx of refugees over a short period of time.

Almost 4000 Ukraine children have been enrolled in Irish schools across the country, the Cabinet has been told.

The pass-through effect of soaring energy prices will be reflected in rising costs for businesses and households,” ministers were told. With the current uncertainty and geopolitical instability, businesses throughout Europe, including in Ireland are also likely to postpone investment and households are also likely to accumulate savings as a precautionary measure. Included in this is a new “cross-government” communications plan on the Ukraine crisis. That’s something Government has said we’d be open to and it’s something that’s been explored at the moment.” Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that no Ukrainians arriving here will be turned away despite the massive pressures on sourcing accommodation. The plan will set out “proposed governance arrangements” to ensure the integration of existing efforts and to avoid duplication of planning.

Households are expected to be paid up to €400 a month to help with the costs of housing Ukrainian refugees, under plans being discussed by Government.

While numbers arriving have fallen in recent days, the Government expects it to rise again in the coming weeks. Discussions have taken place between the secretaries general of a number of government departments and sources told RTÉ News that a figure of "up to €400" is being proposed. Yesterday, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that there will be no cap to the number of refugees Ireland accepts, even as the Government admits it is facing a struggle to house arriving Ukrainians.