New Cabinet subcommittee to oversee State response to Ukraine crisis

The Government has decided to set up a new subcommittee to oversee the State response to the Ukraine crisis.

The subcommittee will consist of Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, and it is expected Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien will also attend initial meetings as the response is focused on housing and accommodation.

Coalition sources expect they will be joined as needed by other Cabinet members, such as Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, while Ministers Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe will likely attend when the financial or economic aspects of the crisis are being discussed. It is modelled after a similar committee set up to monitor the Covid-19 response which met regularly at the height of the pandemic.

Sources indicated that the first meeting of the subcommittee is expected to take place in the next week or so.

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It is expected that the committee will address housing, healthcare, education and other issues, such as the remuneration of individuals or families hosting refugees.