Cabinet signs off on €400 monthly payment for those hosting Ukrainian refugees
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The Cabinet has signed off on plans to provide families who host Ukrainian refugees with a €400 monthly payment.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman said he hoped to have the payment available from the end of May and that it would be backdated for families offering accommodation.
Mr O’Gorman said it would be an “opt-in” process and that work is ongoing with the Department of Social Protection to make that process “as easy as possible”.
Legislation will be required to make the payment available and the Government is hoping to expedite this through the Oireachtas.
Mr O’Gorman said on Tuesday that at a time of significant cost-of-living pressures the Government wanted to offer extra support to families assisting refugees and this is why it is an opt-in process.
He said the payment would be made regardless of whether it is shared accommodation or vacant accommodation.
The date on which the which the payments will be backdated to will be set out in legislation.
The €400 payment has been announced at a time when authorities are under significant pressure to find accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.
The Minister said the Government is aware of the scale of the challenge around accommodating Ukrainian refugees.
He said student accommodation would be used over the summer.
About 31,000 refugees have now come to Ireland, with about 21,000 requiring State-provided accommodation.
Mr O’Gorman said there was a dip in arrivals but recently the State saw increases in the numbers arriving with a peak of 400 arrivals on one day last week.