Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for being here and I wish her well in her new position. I have no doubt that she will serve with the same energy, enthusiasm and integrity as she did in her previous portfolio.

I welcome this important debate. The Fianna Fáil group supports the motion. I pay tribute to the Helping Irish Hosts organisation, including Angie Gough, Aideen Gough and Jill Robinson, who are a fantastic team of committed people who did an incredible amount of work in preparing hosts and communities and matchmaking. They came together as a group after the horrific events of January 2022. I had to think about that because it is three years ago, which is quite incredible when I think about it. They quickly realised that Ukrainians had to flee their country and would need a warm, welcoming home and environment. This group got together to empower individuals throughout the country to make their homes open and to offer a céad míle fáilte, which the Irish people are so renowned for. As the Minister rightly pointed out, 91% of the people who offered their homes were not traditional landlords. They were certainly not doing it for an economic benefit and gain, but to help support those fleeing from war in their own country. They worked to expand what they were doing to make hosting a sustainable practice. In meeting and knowing many of the hosts and many of the Ukrainians who have stayed with the hosts and host families, it really became a very worthwhile practice. However, it has not been without its challenges. There are always going to be issues and challenges with every programme that we have and every intervention that is put in place to ensure that the right thing is done.

The motion reaffirms the solidarity of the Irish people with Ukraine. Given that we have witnesses increased aggression by Russia against Ukraine over the past few weeks, we have to reiterate that we stand firmly with Ukraine. We have to continue to mobilise assistance throughout our country to address the biggest movement of refugees in Europe since the Second World War. The motion extends the ARP to 31 March 2026 and this aligns with the extension of the European Commission's temporary protection directive and, as the Minister outlined, will reduce the monthly payment under the scheme. That will commence in July, which gives time to those who are hosting to adjust. This will provide certainty to Ukrainians that are living in hosted arrangements, their hosts and the NGOs that are supporting them. Over the past month or two, there was a lot of concern throughout the country when people felt that this scheme might cease at the end of March this year and would not continue. It is really important that it is continuing and that that certainty is provided. There are some challenges and issues with the scheme but the failure to extend it would certainly risk placing significant pressure on an already strained private rental market. It would displace 37,000 beneficiaries. It has been a huge issue throughout the country and particularly in those areas that have been very well-known for tourism and had significant tourism businesses. The fact that many of hotels were taken up for hosting caused problems for local economies so the last thing we want to do is to add those problems.

It is important to note that the ARP is a goodwill payment. It is not linked to the actual costs incurred by the person providing accommodation. It is intended to recognise the very valuable contribution of those hosting the beneficiaries. The fact that so many got involved in this scheme has been instrumental in helping Ukrainians to integrate within local communities, local schools and local community organisations and to get much-needed employment. I underline the importance of allowing the Department to move away from a total reliance on tourism and hospitality settings and facilitating the consolidation of the State-contracted accommodation portfolio. As numbers in hosted accommodation have increased, the numbers in the State-contracted accommodation have fallen from a high of more than 58,000 at the end of 2023 to approximately 25,800 at present, which is a 50% reduction. The number of beneficiaries in hosted accommodation now exceeds the number of those in contracted accommodation, which is important. We hope the extension will be approved by the Seanad today. Further consideration will be given to operational improvements to the scheme and the responsibility of the ARP will be transferred to the Department of justice, home affairs and migration, as the Minister has said. That is important because over recent months, there has been a chasm whereby it was difficult to get answers, particularly with regard to Ukrainians and those in other systems who are beneficiaries of protection, when they had to move for different reasons from one place to another. It was really difficult to get a proper and adequate response to why those movements were needed and to be able to make an intervention where it was needed. This is particularly true for children going to school to ensure they would be able to stay within the environment they were comfortable in. They have experienced so much displacement in their short lives and we want to ensure they have the best possible opportunities while we host them in Ireland.

The Minister's order brings clarity to where this will be placed in the future. I thank her and commend the motion to the House.