The move is expected to affect some 16,000 Ukrainian migrants housed in accommodation provided by the government
FILE PHOTO. © Getty Images / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Natalia Campos
The
Irish government has agreed to put in motion a plan to terminate
government-provided accommodation for Ukrainian migrants, as well as cut
benefits for those living in rentals.
An estimated 125,000
Ukrainians have received temporary protection in Ireland since the
escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. According to local
media reports, Dublin has spent more than €438 million ($516 million) on
housing support for roughly half of them.
The government sealed
the scheme to cut housing benefits for Ukrainians who arrived in Ireland
before March 2024 on Monday. The move is set to affect some 16,000
Ukrainian migrants living in state-provided accommodation, save for
those unable to live on their own and “highly vulnerable.”
Asked
on Tuesday what exactly constitutes the latter category, Prime Minister
Micheal Martin admitted that the government was still fleshing it out,
adding that it would likely include “women and children and people with disabilities and so forth, elderly or frail people who need support.”
The withdrawal of state-provided accommodation will begin in August,
with those affected to receive a minimum of three months’ notice. The
properties used to house the migrants will be returned to tourism,
alternative use, and potentially private rental, according to local
media.
Apart from ending state-provided accommodation, the
government opted to sharply reduce the Accommodation Recognition Payment
Scheme from €600 to €400. The move, expected to be implemented in
September and completed by March of next year, will affect a further
42,000 Ukrainians residing in hosted accommodation.
The government plans have been harshly criticized by pro-migrant groups and opposition politicians, who slammed them as “immoral and unethical” and bound to become “really problematic” for many Ukrainian families.
Last
week, Irish Migration Minister Colm Brophy said the government has been
considering offering payouts to Ukrainians to encourage them to leave
and repatriate. The minister argued that Dublin had offered unique
benefits to Ukrainians, pointing out that no other EU states had such
programs.
An estimated 4.35 million Ukrainians are registered
for temporary protection across the bloc. In recent months, numerous EU
states, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and
Hungary, have moved to curb social programs for Ukrainian migrants.