REFUGEE ACCOMMODATION AND a communications plan with communities taking in refugees is set to be discussed at this afternoon’s Cabinet Committee on Ukraine.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said this afternoon that ministers will talk about the issue of providing accommodation for international protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees.

“We haven’t been able to provide accommodation for everyone in the last couple of weeks and that is definitely not a position that we want to be in. But you know, the numbers coming in are really substantial,” he told reporters. 

In terms of accommodation, Varadkar said it “is anything we can get when it comes to accommodating people who were here refugees from Ukraine or people seeking international protection”.

Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman recently appealed for his ministerial colleagues to survey what buildings might be in the remit of departments and state bodies that could be used. 

“We already use hotels, guest houses B&Bs, peoples’ spare rooms, we use tents, unfortunately. And in some cases, we’ve used modular units and caravans. So it’s not a case of finding some sort of new form of housing. It’s just finding anything we can get our hands on,” he added. 

As reported by The Journal last week, a senior officials group is drafting a communications plan to deal with the timing of the release of information safely to communities and local representatives.

The new communications plan is hoped to prevent future protests about the housing of refugees by providing more clarity to local areas and local politicians.

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TDs at the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week told the Secretary General of the Department of Integration that there was a lack of communication with communities about plans, which as a result, was eroding trust between elected representatives and the public.

The Secretary General, Kevin McCarthy, said 60 centres for international protection had been opened since 1 January last year and over 700 centres for Ukraine refugee accommodation.

“In all of those, for the most part, communities have been welcoming and supportive. There has been a relatively small number but an increasing number, and an increasingly recent prevalence, of resistance to what is happening. We are very well aware of that.  We are very well aware of the need to get clear information out to public representatives in those areas on time,” he said.

He said the Integration Department endeavours to engage with local representatives but acknowledged the information was being leaked and shared, or oftentimes could be very last minute, which resulted in a lack of communication.