Sheehan raises alarm over plans to cut accommodation time for Ukrainian refugees
Sheehan raises alarm over plans to cut accommodation time for Ukrainian refugees - The Labour Party
Labour’s housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD has expressed concern following reports that the Minister for Justice is examining a proposal to reduce the time Ukrainian refugees can remain in State accommodation from 90 days to 30. Deputy Sheehan said the suggestion, made so publicly, is both premature and potentially harmful.
Deputy Sheehan said:
“It is deeply concerning that the Minister for Justice is floating ideas of this nature in public before any meaningful consultation or assessment of the practical realities on the ground. We all understand the pressure on State accommodation, but policy changes of this scale cannot be made on the back of a soundbite or headline.
“To suggest that Ukrainian refugees could be expected to find alternative accommodation within just 30 days is simply not realistic. Where is the Government’s plan for housing Ukrainian arrivals? They cannot continue to make this up on the hoof.
“We have been here before with tents along the canal in Dublin. If the Minister does this without any forward planning, then we will end up again with people forced into rough sleeping. We also know that people leaving State accommodation and being forced into emergency accommodation is driving homeless figures up. Where is the plan here?
“The war in Ukraine is still very much a live issue. We must provide a clear pathway for integration to the Ukrainian community in Ireland. Reducing the accommodation period in this way would not solve the underlying problem—it would merely shift it elsewhere, with a very real risk of an increase in rough sleeping. I am calling on the Minister for Justice to urgently clarify his comments. This requires compassion, coordination, and realism—not rushed policy by press release.”