LAST UPDATE | 11 Dec 2023
SOCIAL WELFARE SUPPORTS for Ukrainians living in state accommodation are to be cut from €220 to €38.80 per week.
Following a meeting of coalition party leaders, which finished a short time ago, it was agreed that a 90-day limit for state accommodation for new arrivals from Ukraine would also be imposed.
It is understood that Ukrainians with children will still be eligible for child benefit of €140 per month.
It is expected that the changes will require legislation, which will be introduced in the new year.
The Journal reported in October that the government was revisiting the proposal of reducing social welfare supports for those arriving from Ukraine.
In the same month, controversy erupted after a Cabinet disagreement over the proposals to time limit accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.
Since then work has been ongoing, with a final Cabinet sign-off on the changes to be made tomorrow.
Speaking to reporters in Galway and Leitrim this morning, the Taoiseach said the proposed social welfare cuts would only be for people who are being provided with state accommodation.
“So at the moment we provide accommodation to people coming here from Ukraine indefinitely and at the same time pay social welfare, whereas the change, if we make it will be saying that we can’t promise you accommodation indefinitely.
“But while we do provide you with accommodation, you won’t receive the full amount of social welfare because generally speaking, somebody who is receiving social welfare would have to pay rent and would have to pay for food and utilities,” Varadkar said.
Ukrainians will continue to be welcome in Ireland, he said, but the Taoiseach went on to add that the government are going to have to adjust what is offered in order to bring Ireland more in line with other Western European countries.
Varadkar said government has taken a lot of time to consider the issue, stating:
We have to bear in mind any of the knock on effects or the unintended consequences.
He told the media today that one scenario that has to be considered is if a Ukrainian has been given 90 days to find alternative accommodation but can not find anywhere else to stay.
Using the example of direct provision, Varadkar said there are around 5,000 people who have been granted international protection and the right to stay in Ireland, however, they’re still in direct provision, because there isn’t accommodation for them.
“And that’s really because, you know, we’re not going to throw people out of their accommodation if they’ve nowhere to go. So we have to bear that in mind if we do bring in a 90-day rule in relation to Ukrainians coming to Ireland.
“It’s never just as simple as that. What happens if if they can’t find somewhere after 90 days? And that’s the kind of contingency planning that we have to make,” he said.
The Taoiseach said around 30,000 Ukrainians that have arrived in Ireland have found their own accommodation, with 15,000 of them in employment.
The basic principle is that Ukrainians will remain welcome in Ireland for as long as the war goes on, said Varadkar.
“But we’re going to have to do is make sure that what we offer people coming here is in line with what’s being done in other European countries like France, like the Netherlands, for example. And I think that makes sense, given the pressures that we’re under in terms of accommodation,” he said.
Varadkar said it is important to remember that people who are fleeing war in Ukraine or other parts of the world have often lived through things that would be unimaginable to those that live in Ireland.
“Their homes are long gone, their schools are gone. They are going to keep coming here. And we need to be realistic and honest with people about that,” he said.
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