Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has insisted that the Government will not bring in a cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees following comments from a fellow Fianna Fáil TD.
Clare TD Cathal Crowe expressed concerns in recent days about the number of refugees arriving in the west of Ireland tourist hotspot.
The Government has repeatedly refused to put a limit on the number of Ukrainian refugees that the country can take.
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It is expected that up to 72,000 people will have arrived to Ireland before Christmas.
Minister O’Brien said that he disagreed with Deputy Crowe’s comments, saying that he was “wrong” to call for a cap.
“Well I don't agree with Cathal,” he told Newstalk’s Pat Kenny.
“I think in this instance, he's wrong.
“It hasn't been without its difficulties or challenges, but think if anyone was asked in January of this year that we would accommodate over 60,000 new arrivals and, as I said, not without challenges, but we've done that.
“That doesn't include people from other countries who are fleeing persecution too, about another 15,000.
“We've obligations under international law, but I put it more strongly than that, and more importantly, we have a moral obligation as a country to do everything we can.
“I fully understand that there are communities right across the country, we wouldn't be able to do this without their support.
“Some communities are under pressure and we're looking at how we can alleviate that for them through additional community funding facilities. It hasn't been easy right across the country.
“But we will not be bringing in a cap. I can say very clearly in this instance, I don't agree with Deputy Crowe.”
Speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr Crowe said that 3% of Clare’s population is now Ukrainian.
He said that while refugees have been and continue to be welcome in the area, he was concerned about the services that are available to those fleeing the war.
“The number a country or a county intakes should match its ability to provide not just accommodation but the other metrics of care and support.
“I’m speaking about transport, education, healthcare. On all of these metrics, we’re getting stark warnings from the HSE, from Clare County Council from other statutory bodies that not only has capacity to provide care in these areas been reached, it has probably been exceeded at this moment.”
Mr Crowe said that some Ukrainian people in the area are either sleeping in tents or are being placed in accommodations in remote locations.
When asked if Clare was full, he said that he was “concerned” about the services that can be provided to people.
He added that perhaps the word “cap” was the wrong word, stating that “intake should match capacity to provide proper care”.
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