Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
48. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many modular homes have been provided for refugees in 2023; and what plans his Department have to provide additional modular homes. [48376/23]
View answerI ask the Minister about his plans for the coming winter for housing refugees. What plans does he have in place regarding modular homes, in particular, and in the wider scheme of things as well? I hope he refers in his answer to the proposal around the offering of 90 days' accommodation to those who arrive here from Ukraine.
As the Deputy will be aware, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine thousands of people have had to flee their homes and seek refuge. The State is currently providing accommodation to over 74,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine. As part of this very significant national effort, the Government approved the construction of 700 rapid-build homes on State-owned land, which aims to provide accommodation for 2,800 individuals in family units. The Office of Public Works, OPW, is leading on the design, development and delivery of the programme, while my own Department is the approving authority.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in consultation with local authorities and other public bodies, prepared an inventory of sites that may be suitable for rapid-build housing as part of the Government’s response. Once a site has been cleared for development a comprehensive programme of engagement is carried out by my Department, which involves meeting with councillors and officials of local authorities, service providers and community groups. Specific planning regulations in place for emergencies allow for the development of rapid-build accommodation quickly. However, the sites can only be used for this purpose for a maximum of three years, after which a full routine planning process must take place.
Work is well under way on the first phase of seven sites, in Mahon in Cork, Farnham Road in Cavan, Doorly Park in Sligo, Thurles in Tipperary, Claremorris in Mayo, Clonminch in Offaly and Rathdowney in Laois. Five of the sites, accommodating a total of 204 units or over 800 people, are complete and the residents have moved into their new homes. Final work is progressing on the Rathdowney and Tullamore sites, and these sites are due to be handed over by the OPW in mid-November. A total of 310 units will be delivered in 2023, accommodating just over 1,200 people. The remaining sites will be progressing and occupied in 2024.
The difficulty here is looking at the reality of the situation. The fact is that hundreds of Ukrainians are arriving here every week. The Minister has told me that 1,200 have been accommodated in modular homes in 2023. I am not minimising the effort that that takes, but I am also looking at the reality that the Government and we, as a country, face on an ongoing basis. I know it has not yet been decided by Government, but in recent times we have heard the proposal that it may decide to limit accommodation to 90 days to refugees who arrive here from Ukraine. Where is that proposal now? If the Minister were to offer that to Ukrainian refugees, what would he see happening at the end of 90 days? Where would people go? Would the Government be in breach of the temporary protection directive?
At all times we have worked within the confines of the the temporary protection directive and we will continue to work within its confines. We will not do anything in breach of the temporary protection directive. As I am sure the Deputy is aware, it is interpreted in different ways across many member states, and many member states have taken a much more stringent and a much tighter approach to the rights they offer to Ukrainians under the temporary protection directive. We have taken the generous approach here in Ireland. I think that has been right when we see the magnitude of the crisis facing Ukrainians right now. We also have to be as upfront as we can with Ukraine in terms of the pressure that is on accommodation nationally. We are not in a position to provide an unlimited offer of accommodation to everyone who arrives here. That is not sustainable. We have done a huge amount, but across Government we are examining the offering at the moment in terms of accommodation and the wider offering. Because it is still before Government, I cannot really get into the nuts and bolts of it. I am sure the Deputy understands that. However, it is being examined and we hope to bring forward proposals shortly.
Perhaps I might say what the Minister will not. He said he is not in a position to provide an unlimited offer of accommodation. In fact, he is not in a position to offer anything right now on top of the numbers that we have here. I talk to people on the street and so does the Minister. We are all aware of what the situation is. Whatever proposal the Government comes forward with, whether it is the 90-day proposal or some other proposal, we all know that after 90 days people will have nowhere to go. I quickly checked how many houses are available to rent. There are 18 in Sligo, nine in Leitrim, 21 in Roscommon and 40 in Donegal. It is the same across the country. There is nothing available for people to rent. It is not a question of not being able to provide an unlimited offering. I suppose my question is whether we have anything to offer at this stage.
Obviously, we need a workable solution across the board on accommodation. I have a technical question. What is the spec of these modular builds and what is the turnaround time in relation to them? Will these particular builds be suitable for long-term accommodation? Obviously, we have to address the huge amount of issues for those on waiting lists and whatever else in the general problem we have with accommodation.
In my initial response to Deputy Harkin, I spoke about the 700 OPW modular builds, which are small but are of a very high spec. I think they have an A3 rating. They consist of living space with two bedrooms - a double bedroom and a bedroom with two bunk beds - and a toilet facility. There is a small kitchenette in the living space as well. They are for the use of Ukrainians for up to three years. After that point, local authorities will make a determination on whether they want to continue to use them. I believe that in terms of the spec, the ones that have been built will be of use, and more of that type may well have a significant role in our wider accommodation response. This was always seen as a pilot of the use of this particular method of construction.
I assure Deputy Harkin that any change we make will not just be a change on its own, but will be communicated through all of the channels we have with Ukrainians in Ukraine and across Europe. The very real nature of the challenge of securing accommodation outside of State-owned accommodation will be conveyed. The Ukrainian population across Europe are knowledgeable, have an understanding and are very able to communicate. We will make clear the challenges that exist in terms of the non-supported accommodation system here.
