From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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The Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, has today got government approval for a proposed supplementary estimate to the value of €1 billion for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Vote 40). This supplementary estimate is required to continue to support the department in meeting costs associated with accommodating Ukrainian people fleeing the war and those seeking international protection.
Minister Donohoe said:
“Today I have agreed an additional €1 billion for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to support the department in meeting costs associated with accommodating Ukrainian people fleeing the war and those seeking international protection.
“The government set aside funds in Budget 2023 to meet non-core pressures, such as this, and this supplementary estimate will be met through that contingency. This funding will continue to support the State’s humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis.
“The State has had to work extremely hard to manage the significant influx of people from Ukraine since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Minister O’Gorman and his officials have played a central role in this response in terms of the provision of accommodation. The number of people in State-provided accommodation is now over 70,000.
“The past year and a half has also seen a significant increase in the number of people arriving into the country seeking international protection. In January 2022, our international protection accommodation system had 8,600 people in it. It now has 23,200. This is a trend being experienced across the EU with over half a million asylum applications being received by EU countries, in the first half of 2023."
The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, said:
“Ireland’s response to the war in Ukraine constitutes a significant humanitarian effort on the part of the Irish State and society. We are currently providing accommodation to more than 70,000 people from Ukraine, increasing weekly by around 550 people. With further supply constrained, it is likely that the provision of accommodation will remain challenging for the foreseeable future, and there will be an ongoing reliance on contingency measures. Officials in my department and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform have been monitoring the expenditure, and will continue to do so as the year progresses.”