Ireland will not be putting a cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees that arrive here despite those fleeing the war forced to sleep at Dublin Airport.
And more tented campsites are expected to be erected to help cope with the influx of people.
Tanáiste Leo Varadkar said people “can’t be blind” as to what is happening in the world which has led to the displacement of five million Ukrainians.
Read More : Ukrainians 'sleeping on bare floor' at Dublin Airport as Government scrambles
He said: “Certainly in relation to people coming from Ukraine, we don’t have any plans to limit numbers. Nobody wants to see people having to see people in the airport, that’s not an acceptable situation.
“Forty thousand people have come from Ukraine and another 30,000 or 40,000 work permits being issued to fill crucial skill gaps in Ireland, in our healthcare sector for example, in other areas and then maybe 15,000 expected in terms of international protection.
“That’s not far off 100,000 people coming to the country this year, that is unprecedented.
“Some of it is planned, most of it is unplanned and it’s going to be difficult to deal with and we’re going to have to pull out all of the stops to try and provide additional accommodation and do everything we can but this is an unprecedented situation and one that’s being faced by Governments in Europe because of the war in Ukraine and other factors.”
Update information from Government officials show 180 refugees stayed at the Dublin Airport on Thursday night - 140 had arrived overnight.
It’s understood the majority of people were moved out and into other forms of accommodation and up to 30 refugees were staying at the old terminal building on Friday afternoon.
A bus taking around 50 mainly women and children left the old terminal building for Citywest on Friday morning. It’s expected up to 60 or more Ukrainian refugees could arrive in Ireland over the weekend.
It’s understood the Government has identified a second reception centre, similar to Citywest and is in consultation but contracts have yet to be agreed. Mr Varadkar said there will be other army camps set up, similar to Gormanstown, which is set to be used from Monday.
Mr Varadkar emphasised there is an urgent need to speed up the process of refugees getting settled into accommodation offered by the public. He said: “Gormanstown isn’t the only army camp, there will be other camps we have planned.
“We need to step up the processing and accepting of offers…it has been far too slow to get that through the system. I think the vast majority of people who are willing to provide a holiday home or a place in their own home aren't interested in money.
“That’s not what it’s about, it’s about people responding to a humanitarian need. I can guarantee you people in Poland who have taken people into their homes aren’t getting €400.
“What can make a difference is speeding up the process for those who have made offers and I do know from personal experience of people who have offered space in their home and it’s been far too slow to contact them or vet them and that needs to be sped up now.”
The Fine Gael leader who was speaking to reporters in Galway on Friday said Ireland would not be placing a cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees coming here and it’s not in the Government’s authority to do so due to European law.
He added: “Bear in mind while we’re struggling with 40,000 people who have come from Ukraine, Poland has two million..we’re really taking our fair share and maybe not really quite that.
“That is the truth of it.
“Five million people have been displaced from Ukraine in an appalling, illegal, cruel war being waged on the people of Ukraine and if we turn our backs on them and we say no, what happens to them?
“Camps in France and Greece for example and they’ve had them for a very long time so what we’re seeing in Ireland at the moment is something that we’ve never seen before.”
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