TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN will today update the Cabinet on Ukraine and Ireland’s planned response for humanitarian support.
Ministers will be briefed about the ongoing work in the emergency procurement of accommodation options for the thousands of refugees set to arrive from the Ukraine in the weeks ahead.
Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman yesterday launched an online portal where members of the public who are willing to offer help, such as accommodation to refugees, can register their details with the State.
Ministers are also set to discuss the impacts the crisis in Ukraine is having on domestic issues such as energy costs. The European Commission is due to present its updated energy strategy today which is expected to stress the need to boost renewable sources.
Government sources have indicated that there will be a move to reduce excise on petrol and diesel as prices at the pumps exceed €2 per litre within the next week or so, after it has had time to consider the EU energy paper which will provide guidance to EU member states about steps that can be taken to reduce the costs for people.
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath will today bring a memo to Cabinet setting out the steps he is taking to maximise Ireland’s drawdown from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve.
The EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve is a special one-off emergency instrument of €5.4 billion which has been put in place to support all Member States affected by Brexit.
The Reserve is disbursed in two allocation rounds.
Ireland is set to be the largest beneficiary of the Fund with an allocation of over €1 billion, equivalent to 20% of the entire Reserve.
Each Government Department is being asked for proposals to tackle adverse impacts of Brexit, in particular measures to support the fisheries and agri sectors, reskilling and checks at ports and airports.
The scheme runs until the end of 2023 and Ireland has already received €361 million in funding.
Ministers will be asked to ensure schemes are in place to access any additional funding that might potentially become available as a result of unused or recovered resources from the allocations of other Member States.
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue will also brief his colleagues on a meeting he is holding today with Irish farming organisations, where he will ask them to grow crops on their land amid concerns over food security issues due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo to Cabinet on the Women’s Health Action Plan 2022, which he will launch immediately after Cabinet today.
The memo sets out that this year new development funding of €31 million is being invested in improving and extending women’s health services.
The plan provides funding for new services this year – including free contraception for women aged 17-25 and specialist menopause clinics, which will go from one to four nationally during 2022.
‘See and Treat’ gynaecology clinics will increase by six to 20, resulting in shorter waiting times for gynaecological care, the plan sets out. Two more regional fertility hubs will also open in 2022 – making a total of six nationally.
Specialist Endometriosis services will also be built on with new services opening in Cork this year.
The plan also includes lactation consultants in all maternity units, perinatal mental health services in all maternity units and the roll out of period poverty initiatives across 26 local authorities.
The minister will also outline a review of options for a HPV catch-up programme and commit to the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill going through Oireachtas this year.
This bill deals with the issue of surrogacy, but is also a precursor for publicly funded IVF. The minister will also outline his plans for Safe Access Zones legislation as part of today’s launch.
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