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No timeline for decision on Ukrainian supports - Varadkar

Leo Varadkar said it 'makes sense' to bring what the Government here offers in line with other western European countries
Leo Varadkar said it 'makes sense' to bring what the Government here offers in line with other western European countries

There is no timeline for a decision on whether to limit the State's offering to Ukrainian refugees, the Taoiseach has said.

Leo Varadkar said it "makes sense" to bring what the Government here offers in line with other western European countries.

However he said a decision will not be made this week but "maybe in the next couple of weeks, we don't have a timeline yet."

It comes after there was a "robust" Cabinet discussion last week on possible changes to the accommodation provided by the State for people arriving here from Ukraine which failed to reach agreement.

Speaking in Co Kildare, Mr Varadkar said that "if and when" changes are made, "it won’t be just one Department involved", adding that there are a number of Cabinet ministers who should play a role.

That follows claims in the Dáil last week by Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín that the disagreement at Cabinet was "more about shifting the issue... from one department to another", specifically from the Department of Children to the Department of Housing, and so from the "Green Party to Fianna Fáil".


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"Minister [Roderic] O'Gorman has responsibility for accommodation, Minister [Helen] McEntee has responsibility for the EU law and the directive itself. There is responsibility though education, healthcare and social protection.

"We need to pull all that together and we are just not at that point at the moment, but perhaps in the next few weeks," he said.

"We have to look at the whole thing in the round: how it impacts on schools, healthcare and on the housing situation as well. All of that is very much at the front of our minds.

The Taoiseach said that "there does come a point where the country really is at capacity in terms of accommodation.

"We are getting to the point quite soon where we will have accepted and welcomed 100,000 people from Ukraine to Ireland and I am really proud that we have done that, and provided accommodation, shelter, healthcare, education, heat light, income and jobs.

"In that context it makes sense to bring what we provide what we offer into line with other western European countries like Denmark, like Netherlands, like France, for example."