Letters

Welfare rates for Ukrainian refugees

Another tawdry decision by a floundering administration

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott

The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.

Thu May 16 2024 - 00:14

Sir, – One of the logical narratives previously given by the Government in relation to accommodating Ukrainians fleeing brutal war and violence was that it was our moral duty in place of military aid. Nations like Poland and Estonia have pledged hundreds of millions of euro in military equipment while also accepting an enormous number of refugees under the temporary protection directive.

Our Government is now attempting to weave the issue of asylum seekers into the plight of Ukraine in order to compensate for its disastrous failure in securing accommodation for international protection applicants (“Ukrainian refugees to have welfare allowances cut to €38.80, under new plan”, News, May 14th). These are not the same issue.

Ukraine is at war with an imperial power which seeks the destruction of Europe’s liberal democratic tradition, the order which we benefit enormously from and which Ukrainian men and women are dying to defend. They are fleeing because of Russia’s reprehensible aggression, which will undoubtedly next be aimed at EU nations if Russia is to prevail in Ukraine.

We have a moral, strategic and political imperative to ensure that those fleeing the conflict can meet their basic needs.

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If we are not going to send them weapons to fend off said aggression, the least we can do is ensure that their children are clothed and well fed, their dignity maintained and their sense of security guaranteed until a time comes where a Ukraine free and whole can welcome them back. – Yours, etc,

ANDREW DUNNE,

Dublin 8.

Sir, – Could the Taoiseach survive on €36.80 a week? – Yours, etc,

PAUL DORAN,

Dublin 22.

Sir, – The recent Government decision to cut drastically State support to the Ukrainian community residing here post the Russian invasion of February 2022 (mainly women and children) represents another tawdry decision by a floundering administration. Having been overly generous initially, which unsurprisingly saw a lot of people head our way, there now seems to be a sledgehammer approach to cutting benefits purely due to political reaction at the doorsteps to an international protection process that is swamped.

Speaking of said process, it caught my eye that the International Protection Office backlog is now up to 21,000 people awaiting an interview. As the current interview rate is reported at being around 210 per week, this means the current backlog will take two years to clear, regardless of new arrivals. The EU migration pact that the Government is trumpeting as the solution to many of our asylum woes has a 90-day deadline for interview, so how on earth is this achievable, short of 1,000 staff being assigned to it? – Yours, etc,

MICHAEL FLYNN,

Bayside,

Dublin 13.

Sir, – Ireland may have been overgenerous with its offer to initial Ukraine refugees and we may have underestimated the numbers that would come and the duration of the war in their homeland. However, the swingeing cuts now proposed and the speed of their implementation will certainly reverse that beneficence. The proposed draconian cuts must be causing considerable alarm in many households, particularly those with young children.

Do we really have to standardise benefits at the lowest common denominator and whip the rug from under these refugees with only 12 weeks of notice? What family could adjust their household budget in such a short timeframe?

The Government needs to revisit this proposal.

If a significant reduction in weekly benefits is to be introduced, it must be phased in over 12 months, not a cliff face at 12 weeks.

Our Government should not be perceived to be bending to the will of those anti-immigrant protesters, who do not represent the decent, albeit silent, majority. – Yours, etc,

PETER MOLLOY,

Glenageary,

Co Dublin.

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