Brendan Smith, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Lorraine Clifford Lee and Niamh Smyth.

No cap for Ukraine refugee intake, says Taoiseach

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin says that Ireland has a “moral obligation” to continue accepting Ukrainian refugees.

The Cabinet sub-committee on Ukraine met on Monday afternoon to discuss how to find more emergency accommodation after more than 40 refugees arrived over the past few days with dozens forced to sleep at Dublin Airport after they were unable to secure accommodation.

He also said it would be “very regrettable” if so-called far-right groups were to try to “exploit” the Ukrainian refugee crisis in order to boost their own perceived political agenda.

Speaking after he had earlier addressed the 62nd Plenary Session of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting at the Farnham Estate in Cavan, the Taoiseach ruled out closing Irish borders to Ukrainians, stating a “legal and moral” obligation to take in refugees.

Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees have resettled in Cavan, many in provided accommodation since the start the Russian invasion earlier this year.

There is however plans to provide 30 modular homes within a greenfield site off Farnham Road, beside the Drumnavanagh housing estate and opposite Farnham Court apartments on the western fringe of Cavan Town. The property is State owned, managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and was previously earmarked for decentralisation of the Department for the Marine.

The Taoiseach accepted that the Irish State needed to “do things better” in order to accommodate Ukrainians, and that an option to “opt out” of supporting those fleeing the invasion does not exist.

“It’s important Europe stands together, that Ireland continues to show its solidarity against Putin’s war. And that means we have to double down and do better again in terms of what we’re doing to accommodate people that are fleeing war from Ukraine.

“I actually think the country has responded very well to this in terms of the short space of time that we’ve had to respond and it’s not just an Irish phenomenon, other countries and cities are facing similar situations.”

He added in respect of the propaganda war being waged, primarily online, against the Irish effort to rehome refugees, he said: “That would be a concern, that certain groups will exploit this to boost their political agenda around migration and that would be very, very regrettable.”