Payments for Ukrainian refugees to be cut under Govt plan

Ukrainian refugees who came to Ireland in 2022 and 2023, and who are in State-provided accommodation, will have their payments cut from €232 a week to €38.80, under a memo going to Cabinet.

Ministers will consider a memorandum which will lead to all recipients of temporary protection status receiving the same benefits, regardless of when they first entered the State, while the entitlements of International Protection Applicants are also being reviewed.

Speaking on his way into Cabinet, Taoiseach Simon Harris said Government wanted to "make sure we have a sustainable migration system" and "a consistency of approach" in this area when it comes to social welfare supports and accommodation.

Mr Harris said that Ireland "is a compassionate country, but compassion does need to align with common sense".

"It doesn't seem sensible to me that you would have two children from Ukraine in the same school today in a very different system of treatment for one person's family versus the other," Mr Harris said.

In addition to having a "consistency of approach" Mr Harris said it had to be "financially sustainable."

More than 100,000 Ukrainians have come to Ireland under the temporary protection directive since March 2022, following Russia's invasion of the country.