The Government intends to cut the €800 payment made to those providing accommodation to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, with consideration being given to a €200 reduction in the monthly rate.
The accommodation recognition payment (ARP) was first introduced in the early days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a measure to encourage people to make rooms in their homes or in properties they owned available for refugees fleeing the country.
It was initially paid at a level of €400, but this was increased to €800 in late 2022 as pressure grew to find accommodation.
No final decision has been made on the scale of the cut yet, but officials have previously put forward a €200 reduction to €600 monthly, and it is understood from multiple sources that this figure has been discussed again in recent weeks.
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There is nervousness within the Coalition about scaling back the payment around the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and also at a time when the number of Ukrainians accommodated by the State is falling and the situation regarding the war itself is becoming increasingly unstable in light of comments by US president Donald Trump.
[ Changes ‘likely on way’ to monthly €800 payment for hosting Ukrainian refugeesOpens in new window ]
The Government is expected to extend the scheme, which is due to expire at the end of March, while it is also possible that any reduction in the rate will only kick in later in the year, perhaps during the summer. However, it is also possible that it could be a first step in further tapering of the payment.
The ARP has been subject to criticism from Sinn Féin, which has labelled it as “unfair” and called on the Government to end the payment when the current scheme expires on March 31st.
The party has argued that the payment is distorting the rental sector – a view that is shared in some quarters within the Government – although sources with knowledge of the scheme’s operation also argued that any disruption to the rental market is marginal and confined to only some rural areas where market rents are lower.
Elsewhere, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has asked his officials to carry out a review of the use of provisions currently available to the State under which it can exclude an individual from being granted refugee status.
In a statement confirming the review, a spokesman for the Department of Justice said: “These laws, that are on the statute book now, need to be applied rigorously to ensure our people have confidence in our immigration system.”
He said that section 10 of the International Protection Act contains provisions that allow for the exclusion of someone from being granted refugee status who has committed a serious non-political crime outside the State prior to their arrival.
The Act also allows for the exclusion of someone who has the rights and obligations, or equivalent rights and obligations, to a person of the nationality of a country where they have taken up residence.
The review will also examine section 12 of the Act which excludes an individual from being eligible for subsidiary protection where there are serious reasons for considering that they have committed a serious crime either within the State or prior to their arrival.
Mr O’Callaghan has already said deportations of failed asylum seekers are to increase, with specially chartered flights due to begin this year. He also said that there would be more deportation orders issued this year. “No country can adopt a relaxed or casual attitude to its borders and migration. It’s a security issue as well as being a rights issue,” Mr O’Callaghan said last week.
