Ukrainian refugees coming to Ireland may be housed in tents from next week, due to what the Government has said is a "significant" shortfall in accommodation.
The Minister for Housing said the arrivals are presenting challenges in terms of accommodation but that Government is working to address the shortfalls.
Darragh O'Brien said that Ireland has managed to provide accommodation to almost 100,000 people since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
His comments come after the Department of integration warned that tents may have to be used for new arrivals from next week, due to the shortfall in accommodation.
In a statement, the department said there has been an increase in the number of people fleeing the war in Ukraine over the summer months.
More than 10,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland since 1 May, an average of around 650 people per week.
The department said that although 7,000 extra beds have been sourced, "there remains a significant shortfall in accommodation for those fleeing Ukraine for the coming weeks.
"Due to this significant shortfall, it is expected that from next week, tented accommodation will be used for new arrivals from Ukraine".
The Irish Refugee Council says that as of 27 August, there were 256 international protection applicants, from countries other that Ukraine, in tents in three locations in Ireland.
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Concerns raised over tented accommodation for refugees
A reduction in the number of student accommodation units available to house Ukrainians has contributed to the shortfall.
Around 5,000 student accommodation beds were being used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees during the summer. However, many students are now returning to college.
Around 93,000 Ukrainians have sought temporary protection in Ireland.
Contingency efforts to avoid the use of tents from next week continue, a spokesperson for the Department of Integration said.
It is not yet decided where tents would be located, nor is it clear how many people may be using them.
No coordinated Govt response to situation, says campaigner
National Coordinator of Ukraine Civil Society Response, Emma Lane-Spollen, said it is unacceptable that tented accommodation could be used to house Ukrainian refugees.
She said the fact that this was being considered by the department was "symptomatic of the failure of the Government to develop a whole of Government response to this crisis."
The State should have foreseen the growing numbers and they should have been planned for, she added.
Ms Lane-Spollen said that tents were unsuitable in particular for women and for children, who should be starting school now as "it's not a safe or secure space".
"We're going into winter, the Government has form in saying that something is temporary and it doesn't end up being temporary. So I'm deeply worried by this development."
Meanwhile, Anatoliy Primakov, of Ukrainian Action Ireland, said that as the conflict drags on in Ukraine, longer-term solutions are needed.
He said Ireland was doing a lot but his office had been inundated with people expressing concerns about accommodation.
Proposals and solutions around longer-term solutions needed to be listened to, 18 months on, Mr Primakov added.
'Migration as a tool of warfare'
The plight of Ukrainian refugees is being used as a tool of warfare according to Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
The Tánaiste said that the current challenging situation is because of the "appalling war" being waged on the civilian population of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking in Oxford, England where he was attending a conference of the British Irish Association, he said Ireland will be able to cope.
"What we are witnessing here is the weaponisation of migration as a tool of warfare," Mr Martin said.
"It's reprehensible. But we as democracies have to stand up to this."
Mr Martin said any tented facilities used previously had been temporary and the refugees involved had been moved into more permanent accommodation.
He said all EU states are facing similar pressures.
Additional reporting by Eleanor Burnhill and John Kilraine
