From Department of Social Protection
By: Minister for Social Protection; Heather Humphreys
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We all see on a daily basis the horrific images of what is happening in Ukraine.
War in Europe is not something any of us had comprehended but it is a situation that Ireland must respond to.
Ukrainian citizens are arriving here severely traumatised as they face the loss of family and friends, as they worry about those they have left behind, and as they arrive in a strange country having lost their jobs, their income and all their belongings.
Their entire world has been turned upside down in the last few weeks and it is our duty to help them.
I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to today’s debate and, in particular, to outline now to the House how my department is responding to the situation.
Along with colleagues from other departments, officials from my department are responding in a sensitive and caring way and we are doing all we can to ensure that those who need our help will receive it as quickly as possible.
The House will be aware that a welcome facility is operating at Dublin Airport where officials from my department and the Department of Justice are available to meet arrivals from Ukraine.
Minister Helen McEntee and I opened that facility a number of weeks ago at the onset of the crisis and it is working very well.
The steps being taken by my department fall into three categories: namely:
All income support claims are being fast-tracked for processing and all resources are being made available to ensure PPS Numbers and payments are issued as quickly as possible.
Immediate income support is being provided in the form of Supplementary Allowance, which is payable at rates up to €206 per week, with increases for adult and child dependants.
To give a sense of the scale of the issue, I will share some basic numbers with the House.
To date, PPS Numbers have been issued to over 14,000 Ukrainian citizens, just under 10,000 are women and young girls and 4,000 are men and young boys.
Supplementary Welfare Allowance is already being paid in respect of over 9,000 people while Child Benefit is also being paid in respect of almost 4,000 children.
In addition to the facility at Dublin Airport, we have also established a number of additional dedicated welcome centres in Cork Street in Dublin, as well as in Cork and Limerick city.
The department is working closely with the Department of Justice and the International Protection Accommodation Service in these locations.
We are also working closely with the Department of Justice to meet people arriving on each ferry at Rosslare port.
Interpretation services are being provided where required to assist Ukrainian citizens access my department’s services and application forms and information on supports are available in both Ukrainian and Russian.
A dedicated webpage has been published on the department’s website to ensure those arriving from Ukraine are aware of the supports and services available to them and this page has been translated into both Ukrainian and Russian.
Once people have had an opportunity to settle in, we will arrange to provide the most appropriate social welfare payment - which, depending on the individual circumstances, could include the One Parent Family Payment, disability allowance or jobseeker payments.
As Deputies will be aware, many people arriving from Ukraine are anxious to support themselves and are already making efforts to seek employment.
Thankfully, many of them have already been successful in obtaining jobs and I know that many employers are seeking to offer employment to them.
My department is putting in place plans to roll-out job search and employment supports so that those seeking employment can receive the assistance they require.
I know a number of Deputies have been in touch about businesses who have employment opportunities for Ukrainians.
Employers can email employer@welfare.ie if they wish to register their interest in offering employment opportunities to Ukrainian citizens arriving in Ireland.
My officials will work closely with employers and also with the Education and Training Boards so that any training supports and language supports can be provided.
It’s important however that we give people the necessary time and space to get settled after they arrive here.
They have been through an extremely traumatic experience and their immediate concern is naturally for their children and the loved ones they have left behind.
For those who want to and are ready to look for job opportunities, my department is here to help and we will assist in matching them with employers.
Finally, Ceann Comhairle, I just want to thank the staff in the Department of Social Protection who over the last two years responded in an unprecedented way to ensure income support was provided to people during a global pandemic and who are now doing the same again in respect of people arriving from the Ukraine.
The work that the staff are doing at Dublin Airport and at the reception facilities and local offices around the country is public service at its best and I just want to acknowledge those efforts in the House today.
We all hope this awful war will end but, in the meantime we will continue to do everything we can to help.
Thank you.