Ministers approve monthly payment of €400 for those hosting Ukrainian refugees

Ministers have approved the provision of a monthly payment of €400 to people hosting Ukrainian refugees, but the support is unlikely to be available for a number of months.

Coalition leaders and Ministers agreed on the matter on Thursday at a sub-committee meeting where accommodation and education for refugees were discussed. The decision was taken pending full Cabinet approval, which will likely come next week.

It has not yet been agreed who would administer the payment, but the expectation is that it will be Revenue or the Department of Social Protection.

Ministers will also have to decide if there will be an application process for the payment or if it will be automatically given to all who have taken in people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

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The intention had been to provide a flat rate payment to minimise the complexity of administering it – which would mean it would not vary depending on how many people were being accommodated, or where in the State the property is.

It is understood that legislation will be required to offer the payment and it may take a few months to have this drafted and passed through the Oireachtas.

Ministers also agreed to expedite garda vetting for households who voluntarily pledged a place.

The details of the payment have emerged at a time when authorities are under pressure to find accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. More than 29,000 people have come to Ireland, with about 20,000 requiring State-provided accommodation.

Emergency

New figures show the State has spent more that €16.7 million on emergency accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs to house people fleeing the war at the end of last month.

More that 5,000 hotel rooms have been booked by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) to accommodate people who have fled since late February. Other accommodation has been sourced elsewhere.

Hotel rooms have been booked by the IPAS – typically for durations of between 3-6 months – to house refugees as medium and long-term housing solutions are being developed.

The figures were provided by Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman to Sinn Féin TD for Kerry Pa Daly, who asked how much had been spent on privately-owned accommodation such as hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs.

In a written response, Mr O’Gorman said IPAS has contracted some 5,000 hotel rooms. He said additional capacity was being pursued “through different means including hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, accommodation pledged by the general public, religious properties, accommodation operated by voluntary organisations, and local authority facilities”.

The Minister said the €16.7 million figure takes account of all invoices received, processed and paid out directly by the department to accommodation providers to the end of April.

The figure was said to be “preliminary and subject to final verification”. Mr O’Gorman also said it “excludes any expenditure on emergency accommodation provided by local authorities or community providers”. The department said this was principally a reference to places such as e community centres being used to house refugees.