Ukrainian refugees cannot face ‘cliff-edge’ in Government supports, says O’Brien

There can be no “cliff-edge” to supports for Ukrainian refugees and assistance should remain in place for those who need it, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has said.

Reports suggest the Coalition is divided over plans to time limit accommodation for new arrivals from Ukraine to 90 days, with a potential corresponding cut in social welfare rates also said to be under consideration to bring Ireland into line with the supports offered in other EU countries.

Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman is finalising the proposals around the time-limit, but concern has been expressed at Cabinet about the impact this would have on the housing crisis given the State-wide lack of accommodation.

Asked if he was concerned about these proposals, Mr O’Brien said he did not believe there should be a “cliff-edge”.

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“The State has responded, in the main, very well to our friends in Ukraine. We have had 100,000 people from Ukraine coming into this country and they’ve been supported through various mechanisms, a lot of it actually led by my own department,” he said.

“Cabinet has had detailed discussions on this as to what the next approach will be. And that’s something that Cabinet will agree. We’ve got to make sure that there’s no cliff edge there and that supports are there for people that need it ...”

Mr O’Brien said that, as of now, there have been no formal proposals or memos to Cabinet on the matter.

“Government decisions are based on memorandums brought to Cabinet and we’re actively engaged with Government colleagues in relation to looking at the next phase,” he added.

Mr O’Brien was asked at the Fianna Fáil ardfheis in Dublin on Saturday if he would be happy to serve in a coalition after the next election which featured Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin as the minister for housing.

He accused Sinn Féin to being opposed to “pretty much everything that’s been brought forward” to address the housing crisis and said the Government will “stand on the delivery of what we’ve actually done, as opposed to what other parties are saying they will do”.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was also asked about coalescing with Sinn Féin after the next election, and did not directly answer whether he would rule it in or out.

“First of all, the electoral situation is dynamic. I think it is very open, and the current three parties in Government could get enough votes to form the next government, that clearly can’t be ruled out,” he said.

“Sinn Féin says it wants to go into government with the far left and it doesn’t want to go into government with Fianna Fáil and it doesn’t want to go into government with Fine Gael. We have very fundamental issues in terms of the policy platform of Sinn Féin. We are serious about being in government.”

Mr Martin added: “We don’t align with Sinn Féin on many policies, from the European Union to the economy, enterprise etc. There are enough parties there. The electoral situation is wide open. There needs to be a more reflective analysis.”

Asked if he would continue to dodge the question, he said the question was asked “on a false premise”. He said the media is “captivated by opinion polls” rather than policy.

Meanwhile, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said he would not be open to changing the forthcoming mortgage interest relief scheme, which will offer relief of up €1,200 for those with outstanding mortgage balances of between €80,000 and €500,000. He said he believed the right balance had been struck with the scheme.

Asked about the State’s decreasing corporation tax take, after exchequer returns published on Friday showed receipts had fallen for the third month in a row, Mr McGrath said the Government believes the trend is related to global economic conditions.

“We always highlighted that this was a material risk. We are seeing some signs of that materialising at this point, but not in a way that causes me any concern,” he said.