Extra 33 peacekeepers to go to Lebanon amid rising tensions in area
More soldiers are to be deployed to bolster security of Irish troops there
An extra 33 Irish peacekeepers will be sent to Lebanon amid intensifying tensions in the region, under plans from Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
There are about 350 peacekeepers at Camp Shamrock in the south of the country as part of the Unifil mission, Cabinet will be told today.
The additional peacekeepers will travel out to Lebanon in July and the current battalion is due to finish up next month.
The Unifil mission is Ireland’s largest overseas deployment, as part of a joint Irish and Polish battalion, including peacekeepers from Hungary and Malta.
The extra soldiers will work to increase security of the Irish battalion and will provide force protection duties, as well as increased convoy security.
The move comes as the situation in the Middle East remains fragile after Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel over the weekend.
Meanwhile, migrants will be housed at the Citywest Hotel until at least May next year as the Government is expected to formally sign off on an extension on the lease.
Around 81,000 Ukrainians and 8,000 asylum-seekers have been accommodated at Citywest since 2022.
Currently, around 560 international protection applicants and 1,600 Ukrainians are still accommodated there. The proposal to extend the lease until next year will be brought to the Cabinet by Equality Minister Roderic O’Gorman.
It comes after Taoiseach Simon Harris criticised those behind an alleged arson attack on a building that was earmarked for asylum-seeker accommodation in Co Wicklow.
The fire, at Trudder House in Newtownmountkennedy, broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning.
There have been more than 20 fires at properties associated, sometimes incorrectly, with accommodating asylum-seekers last year and this year.
Mr Harris said the State is responding to a humanitarian crisis and described arson attacks on buildings during a housing crisis as “extraordinarily unhelpful”.
Separately, survivors of institutional abuse will be entitled to an “enhanced medical card” under proposals from Education Minister Norma Foley which will be signed off by senior ministers.
Survivors of Magdalene laundries and mother and baby homes already receive similar such medical cards.
Ms Foley will now put in a special package of supports for survivors of institutions also.
Survivors living abroad will be able to avail of a payment of €3,000 in lieu of the enhanced medical card to support their health needs.
Under the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill, grants will be provided to survivors to help them in taking part in further or higher education.
The payments will be additional to any Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) grants that survivors may be entitled to and the scheme will also ensure that survivors are not required to pay the student contribution charge.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will tell his cabinet colleagues that there has been an increase of a third in critical care capacity during the lifetime of the Government.
A progress report brought to the Cabinet will show that there are 330 ICU beds in operation across the country, an extra 72 additional beds over the 2020 baseline of 258 beds. An extra 106 beds are to be rolled out across a number of hospitals, with five being the priority: Beaumont, St James’s, the Mater, St Vincent’s and Cork University Hospital.
Enterprise Minister Peter Burke will also tell the Cabinet that the referendum to join the Unified Patent Court, due to be held on June 7, is now being delayed.