Over the last two years, unprecedented numbers of people have sought protection in Europe and in Ireland due to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and other conflicts.
It is important to be as responsive as possible to genuine local concerns. The best way to address this is to ensure that the structures and supports which have been put in place as part of the humanitarian response are adequately resourced and sufficiently flexible to meet growing and changing needs.
Since the start of the response, additional resources have been allocated to assist in the provision of education and health services in direct response to increased demand in communities hosting arrivals from Ukraine and International Protection Applicants. This process continues.
In addition, investment in local community facilities in those areas hosting Ukrainians and IP Applicants has been made through the €50m Community Recognition Fund announced last year which had regard to the numbers of people seeking protection as part of the allocation criteria. An additional €10m in funding through SICAP has also been provided to meet local demands in providing support to Ukrainian and International Protection Arrivals.
Consideration is being given to the next phase of the Community Recognition Fund and to how to build on SICAP initiatives to further support communities in welcoming new arrivals and these will be announced in due course.
