Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has denied that Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman blindsided cabinet colleagues over his proposal to time-limit the State’s provision of accommodation to those fleeing the Ukraine war.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels he said: "That's not the case. And in fairness, I think the Tánaiste said that's not the case. This is a row that is being exaggerated."
It follows what was described as a "robust" Cabinet discussion on possible changes to the accommodation provided by the State for people arriving here from Ukraine.
This included a proposal that new arrivals would spend 90 days in dormitory-style accommodation after which they would have to find a place to live. This would mean that children in these facilities could receive tuition on site but not attend school.
This was said to have raised serious concerns among senior Cabinet figures, including the Tánaiste.
"Minister Gorman has had proposals for quite some time and they've been discussed at leaders level, discussed at cabinet level as well, and he asked for permission to raise something at the meeting, which I gave him," Mr Varadkar said.
He added that was "not an unusual thing at all, but it was never a case that the decision was going to be made absent a [cabinet] memo."
Mr Varadkar said there was no proposal yet on the table, but it was being examined by Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys.
He said it did not make sense for Ireland to align with other European countries on rates of social welfare or accommodation provision.
Ireland provided both accommodation and indefinite social welfare payments for Ukrainian refugees, and that was not the EU norm, he said.
"We have a higher cost of living, for example, than other countries, and other countries pay welfare rates differently to refugees, depending on whether or not they're provided with accommodation," he said.
"We've welcomed nearly 100,000, Ukrainians to Ireland. I’m really proud that we've done that, as a country, to provide accommodation, food, shelter, health care, education, jobs, income.
"We are a country that is full of compassion but we unfortunately have limited capacity, particularly when it comes to accommodation.
He said nobody was going to be forced from accommodation.
"It is the case already that a lot of people who've come to Ireland from Ukraine provide their own accommodation, a lot of them are working and some avail of rent supplements," he said.
He added: "Having an extra 100,000 people in your country is always going to have an impact on housing, healthcare, education. That's just a statement of the obvious.
"But of course, anything we do, any change we make, has to take into account the impact that it might have on housing, on our schools, on healthcare, on everything else. So that work is really still ongoing."
Earlier, Tánaiste Micheál Martin had said reports of a row at Cabinet over the housing of people from Ukraine were "a bit exaggerated".
Mr Martin said there has been "an ongoing discussion about this before the Cabinet meeting and there will be further discussions about this", and rejected that the time-limit proposal blindsided him.
Speaking at the Climate Summit 2023 at Trinity College, Mr Martin said issues get discussed and teased out at Cabinet and at Cabinet sub-committee level and informally between ministers.
"So, I think it's a bit exaggerated to say there was a row. I think there have been many challenging issues that have come before us," he said.
Mr Martin said Ireland has "responded very generously, very effectively in respect of the war on Ukraine".
He said: "Ireland has played its part admirably; we shouldn't lose sight of that."
"Obviously, as the war goes on, we have to calibrate our response. Reflect on it. That's all very fair. But I'm always conscious fundamentally we can't let [Russian President Vladimir] Putin win this war either," he added.
The Minster for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport meanwhile declined to be drawn on the reports of a row.
Eamon Ryan said he would save his comments for his Cabinet colleagues. Speaking at the summit, the Green Party leader said "I will do it in the confines of Cabinet confidentiality".
"I think it's the best way of getting progress, which we do have to make, so I'll be discussing that with my colleagues within Cabinet," he said.
Asked if the prospect of reducing entitlements was intended to act as a deterrent, Mr Ryan said that was not the case but he said the key is that the situation is managed.
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has said it is important to be upfront and honest with Ukrainians who are considering coming to Ireland and to explain the challenges here on accommodation.
He said any changes to Ireland's offering would be made "in the round" taking in accommodation and other elements.
He added that we have to have regard to the offering of other EU member states.
Additional reporting: Fergal O'Brien, Sandra Hurley
