Heated exchanges as Ministers told Ireland one of last countries not to change refugee accommodation offer

Ireland is among the only countries in Europe not to have changed its accommodation offering to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, the Cabinet was told during a heated row between Ministers.

On Tuesday, Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman ran into opposition from Cabinet colleagues over plans drawn up which would limit State-provided accommodation for those newly arriving from Ukraine to just 90 days.

Mr O’Gorman is said to have told Cabinet colleagues who asked whether Ireland would be the first to change its system that it would in fact be among the last to institute reforms of this type.

The row, which one source described as among “the most divisive, heated discussions” that have taken place at Cabinet since the Coalition was formed, marks the emergence of an uneasy stalemate at Government level over policy on Ukrainian refugees.

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Sources briefed on the Cabinet row said Tánaiste Micheál Martin raised particular concerns about the proposal, arguing that the proposed approach was tantamount to moving responsibility to the Department of Housing, and raised concerns about the impact on homelessness services, which were echoed by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien.

However, other sources in the Government queried this, saying that under the temporary protection directive which allows Ukrainians rights within the EU, they do not have entitlements to housing or homeless services through the Department of Housing.

Mr Martin is also said to have raised concerns about the impact on education of the children of those coming here. Several sources said a proposal beyond accommodation reforms was needed.

[ Refugee accommodation shortage merits public concern and debate ]

[ Ireland spent more than €900m last year helping Ukrainian refugees ]

Ministers queried whether it was appropriate to proceed with a policy based only on accommodation, rather than a package of reforms, including welfare changes.

In turn, Mr O’Gorman is said to have “vented a lot of frustration” at the lack of progress on reform at a time when the system is coming under unprecedented pressure, and warned the current system would see people left on the streets. Officials have warned privately that Ireland’s system is out of step with other countries.

Mr O’Gorman is said to have told the Cabinet that 30 per cent of those coming here have previously registered for temporary protection elsewhere. On Tuesday evening, the Department of Justice said this was an “indicative figure” and would include persons who were briefly registered in another EU country before travelling here as there was no direct route.

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys is to examine what, if any, reforms can be made to the package of welfare supports, with some at Cabinet concerned about a “pull factor” behind an increase in recent arrivals.

Some Ministers questioned why the issue was being discussed at Cabinet in the absence of an agreed proposal for the Cabinet to decide on, and Mr O’Gorman argued that the issue had been discussed at multiple Cabinet subcommittees and had twice been referred to the Coalition leaders’ pre-Cabinet meeting only to not proceed to full Cabinet.

On Tuesday night, Ministers were taken aback by the angry fallout, as the Cabinet usually deals with items for decision that have been through an extensive process involving senior officials, Cabinet subcommittees of relevant Ministers and the leaders’ meeting.

Government sources later added that plans to establish “five or six″ major centres for Ukrainians around the country and gradually end the use of hotels were not ready to be signed off by Government. Some disagreement centred on the proposal that refugees would be asked to leave the temporary centres after 90 days.

There is also a belief in some parts of the Government that comparably high Irish rates of social welfare are acting as a magnet for Ukrainian refugees.