Minister of State Joe O’Brien has confirmed that the government is considering charging people seeking refuge in Ireland a small fee for their accommodation.
The minister said the proposal was in a draft.
Speaking in RTE’s The Week in Politics, O’Brien said he didn’t know what the fee might be, but it was a “nominal” amount.
“There is a draft paper at the moment that indicates for a limited number of people who may be in serviced accommodation by the State, that there may be some nominal fee paid,” he said, reports RTE.
The minister said the fees would be paid by some people in direct deliveries and some Ukrainians who have full-time jobs.
Minister O’Brien said around 60,000 people had received “safety and shelter” this year and Ireland should be proud of that.
Acknowledging there was pressure to house those seeking protection, he said modular shelters would come online by the end of this month, with more to come early next year.
“We have got a tight two weeks ahead. There will be more [modular housing] coming on stream later this month and the pledged accommodation is creeping up as well,” reported RTE.
Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy has asked why a number of Irish Refugee Council proposals, including the use of thousands of holiday homes, were “not adopted”.
Secretary O’Brien responded to this claim by saying that the Government “already is doing it”.
He also said work to end direct supply was underway as the government was “actively looking for property” to acquire.
He also said that by the end of the year, local authorities had identified 3,000 plots that could be used to house Ukrainian refugees.
People Before Profit technical director Richard Boyd Barrett said there was no “consistent” thinking between departments to address the “desperate” need for customization, according to RTE.
He said vacant properties should be a focus as the Public Works Bureau has about 70 buildings vacant during a housing crisis.
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