The lack of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees coming to Ireland is “unacceptable”.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko said the lack of housing is “very worrying”. Around 35 refugees spent the night in Dublin Airport on Saturday due to no accommodation being available.
The Citywest transit hub, which processes new arrivals, has reached capacity. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said all of the refugees who have been left without rooms are men.
Read more: Refugees forced to sleep in temporary accommodation as Citywest hub packed full
Ms Gerasko said she hoped the Government and other EU countries would find a solution. She added: “They bought tickets, they arrived in Ireland. So it would be better to announce the lack of accommodation in advance and Ukrainians would decide to go to another country.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney told RTE’s This Week programme he has spoken with Ms Gerasko this week and informed her of the pressure the Government was under.
He added: “The line here is it’s not acceptable for people to flee a conflict. To come to Ireland and not to have anywhere to go. And so we need to get on top of that as a Government.”
No formal arrangements are in place to accommodate or support overnight stays at the airport. However, the department plans to open an overnight facility at the airport from today to take in refugees who arrive on late flights.
Meanwhile, Liam O’Dwyer, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross said the crisis is “fairly desperate”. He said the Government must establish a new hub where people can go when they arrive.
Mr O’Dwyer said there is capacity in the system and that a significant number of commercial offers have come through in the last month. Mr O’Dwyer told RTE’s This Week that around 2,000 units are available to be accessed but acknowledged that a lot of these sites are rural.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach has defended the Government’s response to the room shortage for refugees, describing it as “remarkably fast”.
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