THE FIRST CONTRACT to deliver 500 modular homes for people from Ukraine fleeing the Russian invasion will be completed in early 2023, a minister has said.

Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan said the homes will not all be sited at Defence Forces barracks but also on land provided other public bodies including the HSE.

To date, Ireland has accommodated up to 56,000 men, women and children from Ukraine, with thousands of children in primary and post primary school and also over 10,000 Ukrainians working.

However government has warned that refugees could end up sleeping on the streets due to the accommodation shortage.

O’Donovan defended the government’s handling of the situation, saying 60,000 people, equivalent of 1% of the population have arrived in Ireland since February.

“We’re not the only European country that are experiencing huge influxes of this nature. Seven million people have been displaced internally in Ukraine, and millions have left the country,” he told RTÉ’s The Week In Politics.

“I don’t think anybody saw seven million people moving out of Ukraine last February.

“And it isn’t only Ireland, Belgium is under serious pressure.

“The Netherlands are under pressure, all the Baltic countries and eastern Europe.

“We’ve placed a contract with a principal contractor and work is starting in the initial 500 houses that has now been decided to grow by the government to an additional 200.

“On top of that, we’ve placed orders for 250 houses with the subcontractors so we’re on track to deliver.

“We hope to see the completion of the first in the first months, January and February, of 2023, which is actually on schedule from the original plan.”

He said the houses will be on sites provided by various public bodies including the Office of Public Works, local authorities, the HSE, the Department of Defence and others.