Newly arrived Ukrainian migrants may have their time in State accommodation cut substantially while those already in State accommodation could face relocations. These “immediate” measures are under consideration amid fears the Government is going to “exhaust” its capacity to house people by the end of next month.
The Department of Justice has warned that with 50 new Ukrainians now seeking temporary protection in Ireland every day, the State will run out of available accommodation for them by the end of November, if current trends continue.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan is considering “immediate” measures to cut the amount of time that those fleeing the Ukraine war are accommodated by the State from 90 days to 30. The Government would also refuse to accommodate anyone coming to Ireland from Ukraine via a second country, or who had previously been granted temporary protection in another European member state.
The measures are being considered because of an increase in recent weeks in the number of people fleeing the war who have been granted temporary protection here. The Department of Justice believes this is because Ukraine has changed its laws to allow young men aged between 18 and 22 to leave the country.
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A Department of Justice briefing seen by The Irish Times, which Mr O’Callaghan will share with Government colleagues next week, warns that Government has had to scramble to repurpose and recontract accommodation to cope with the demand. The department has predicted that if current trends continue, “whereby approximately 50 people require 90-day accommodation daily, the total available capacity may be exhausted in November”.
While the Government does not yet know if this is a temporary “wave” or a permanent trend, Mr O’Callaghan is considering swift measures to manage the accommodation shortage and encourage the “independence and integration” of Ukrainian people granted protection here.
Those already in 90-day accommodation centres would face “targeted relocations”, with exceptions made for families with school-going children in a local area. And Ireland would “refuse to provide accommodation to beneficiaries of temporary protection who arrive from secondary movement and have previously held temporary protection in another member state”, the briefing says.
Mr O’Callaghan is also examining long-term measures, including a time limit coming into effect early next year for those who have been in State accommodation since before March 2024. This could be waived for those who “clearly are unable to live independently”.
The briefing document says that by the end of next year, the Government would start winding down its “rapid build programme”, a 2022 initiative designed to quickly create short-term accommodation for 2,000 Ukrainians at several sites across Ireland. The Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme would also be reduced before being eventually wound down.
