‘Signif icant’ fall in Ukrainian arrivals to our shores ahead of cut in social welfare payments
THERE has been a significant decrease in the number of people travelling here from Ukraine, the Integration Minister has said.
Roderic O’Gorman said he expected the trend to continue when social welfare payments are reduced to new arrivals using State accommodation.
In the past week, the Department of Justice has said just 143 Ukrainians have arrived here seeking protection, compared to 168 people the previous week.
This is compared to an average of 500 weekly arrivals from Ukraine at the end of last year.
Ireland saw 2,532 arrivals from Ukraine in November, falling to 1,836 in December and 1,381 in
‘The system wasn’t fit for purpose’
January this year. The weekly welfare rate would be reduced to €38.80 from €220, and new arrivals would also have a 90-day limit on the time they could remain housed by the State.
More than 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in to Ireland since February 2022.
Mr O’Gorman said the changes had already had an impact on the number of new arrivals.
He told RTÉ’s Today With Claire Byrne show: ‘We are already seeing a significant decrease in the number of people seeking temporary protection from Ukraine.
‘Arrivals from Ukraine are down and I think when we bring in the new system later on this month, I think that trend will continue.
‘In terms of international protection, we know that the system of processing applications and the system of accommodating people wasn’t fit for purpose even before the current crisis.
‘So myself and Minister (for Justice Helen) McEntee are working on twin tracks. First of all, to speed up the processing of people’s application when they come here so they can more quickly get a determination. Do they get refugee status, do they not?
‘And on my side, better accommodation and State-owned accommodation because we are almost entirely reliant on the private sector in terms of the provision of accommodation, and that’s why I brought forward proposals that we would have a core of State-owned accommodation for people while their application is being processed.’
Ireland has seen a sharp rise in the number of people seeking international protection.
There was a 415% increase in the number of applications in 2022 compared to 2021 and a 186% increase from 2019.
In 2022, there were 13,000 applications for international protection, while 2023 saw 12,000 applications.
Mr O’Gorman said around 40% of applications for asylum were successful, while 60% of people did not meet the criteria set out for international protection.
Meanwhile, the Minister said gardaí should be given the space to investigate arson attacks against properties linked to housing asylum seekers.
Ireland has seen a spike in the number of arson attacks on buildings rumoured or earmarked to provide accommodation for people seeking international protection.
He added: ‘The magnitude, the seriousness of these crimes cannot be overstated, it is a miracle that no one has been injured or no one has been killed.
‘That’s why I think it is so important that we give An Garda Síochána the space to undertake detailed investigations, which will allow them to bring forward successful prosecutions so we can very clearly see people put in prison for these criminal acts.’