I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 2nd July, 2026. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Deputies for meeting to discuss this motion concerning the order I propose to make, in conjunction with the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to reduce the monthly financial contribution payable under the accommodation recognition payment, ARP, scheme to €400 from September 2026. The ARP scheme was introduced in July 2022 to recognise the generosity of members of the public who opened their houses, whether in their entirety or through the provision of a room, at their own expense to provide shelter to people displaced by the Ukraine war. The Department of Social Protection administers the scheme on my behalf. The scheme currently involves a tax-free monthly payment of €600 to hosts per eligible property used to accommodate people granted temporary protection from Ukraine. The motion before the House arises on foot of a Government decision of 26 May last in respect of the phased reduction of the ARP from €600 to €400 from 1 September next, with a view to ending the scheme entirely at the end of March 2027. As the payment is made monthly in arrears, the first payment at the reduced rate will be made in October. The ARP scheme is provided for under Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022. Section 9 of that Act enables me to make an order amending the amount payable under the scheme, with the consent of the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for public expenditure and reform. I have consulted both Ministers, who have expressed support for the proposed reduction in the rate. The Act of 2022 also provides that the draft order laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas cannot be made law until a resolution approving the order has been passed by each House. The ARP scheme was introduced as an emergency measure at a time of exceptional need, when the demand for accommodation for those seeking refuge from Ukraine outstripped the availability of accommodation. The scheme has been a lifeline for people from Ukraine displaced by the conflict, given high rental market rates and scarcity of rental accommodation. It has introduced a stream of accommodation that would not otherwise have been available, and it has allowed my Department to move away from a reliance on State-contracted accommodation in the tourism sector. Since July 2022, the scheme has supported more than 29,000 hosts providing accommodation to approximately 66,500 people granted temporary protection. There are currently over 41,000 people with temporary protection accommodated with the support of the scheme. I thank the hosts who have opened their homes, the Irish Red Cross, the International Organization for Migration, their partners and the Irish public, who have shown unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The scheme's payment rate is not, nor has it ever been, linked to the actual cost incurred by the person providing the accommodation. It is a recognition of the valued contribution of those who host. The payment is not intended to substitute rent, nor is it available where a rental agreement is in place. It is also not aligned with market rental rates. The rate has previously been amended twice. It was increased from €400 to €800 on 1 December 2022 to coincide with the introduction of the offer a home scheme. This measure was invaluable in generating emergency accommodation from a stock of holiday homes and largely unused vacant properties. The rate was subsequently reduced to €600 from 1 June last year to address concerns about the scheme's potential impact on the rental market. Other measures were also taken earlier this year to limit eligibility for the scheme to preclude properties registered with the Residential Tenancies Board with a view to safeguarding rental accommodation for tenants. The draft order before the House would have the effect of revoking the previous order amending the monthly contribution rate and restoring the rate to the original value of €400 specified in the 2022 Act when it commenced. I note the amendment Deputy Carthy has tabled. That will be addressed later. I recognise the concerns raised by Members of this House in previous debates about the equity of the scheme, which is not available to other cohorts. To that end, my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, and I had signalled plans to phase out the scheme when the scheme's extension until 2027 was considered by the Houses in March. This remains our position.

Sentiment score: 0.15

I thank colleagues for their contributions. What is apparent from them is that there is a divergence of opinion not just between the Government and the Opposition but throughout the House when it comes to how we respond to this issue. In a way, I think this reflects the complexity of the issue. It is sometimes healthy that there are diverging views around this House and issues are not just presented in a binary way. There are, however, two points on which I think there is general agreement in this House. The first is that the Irish people have been very generous in their response to the plight faced by Ukrainian people since the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. One of the obligations under the temporary protection directive is that we provide access to the means of accommodation. There was no requirement on Ireland to provide accommodation for people who came to Ireland claiming temporary protection. We decided, however, that we would go beyond what was set out in the temporary protection directive and that we would, in fact, pay for and provide accommodation for people arriving from Ukraine after 2022. I think that was a very generous step to be taken by the Government on behalf of the Irish people. Everybody in this House agreed in respect of that decision. I also think, however, that we need to be aware that the cost of doing this is very significant. If we look back to 2024, for instance, the cost to the State of temporary protection accommodation was in the region of €1.16 billion. That was just in one year, in 2024. If we look at the accommodation recognition payment that we are debating here, since that was introduced back in June 2022 and up to June 2026, a period of four years, the cost of this has been €496 million, which is €0.5 billion. The point I am making is that the response of the Irish people has been very generous. I think there is agreement on this point. The second thing I suspect there will be agreement on in this House is that I certainly did not expect in February 2022 - maybe other people here did have the foresight to realise this - that the war would be ongoing four and a half years later. It is very significant in terms of the fact that temporary protection was introduced later in 2022 and it is still ongoing. There is a debate in Europe now as to what will happen in respect of temporary protection. I do think, however, that the length of the war has had an impact. It must have an impact in terms of Government policy. I thank Deputy Gannon for recognising the effectiveness of the Government. The ARP introduced has been a very effective measure. The last time we debated this topic, there were concerns here regarding moving it from €800 to €600 and that this change was going to significantly undermine it. I do not believe it has. I think it has continued effectively. What we are doing now is reducing it back to the originally intended €400, with notice that come next year, it will be removed completely. It is important to note that many of the people availing of the ARP are diligent people who are able to work and who are working. They also have very good relationships with the persons providing the accommodation. All those factors together indicate to me that there will be mechanisms for people either to stay in that accommodation with their own private arrangement or to secure accommodation elsewhere. The question that has been put out there is where they are going to get accommodation. It is instructive to note that a lot of people are still coming into Ireland each month under the temporary protection directive. They apply for temporary protection but many of them do not look for accommodation because they have a network here that enables them to receive accommodation. I will turn to Deputy Carthy’s amendment, which I cannot accept. His amendment, in short, is about the need to introduce means testing. This is a payment, as I said, made to the owner of the property. It is not a payment made to the Ukrainian people. It would be highly unorthodox to means-test the person not receiving the payment. As we have also indicated here, the scheme is going to end next year, so we would expend a lot of bureaucratic and administrative time in setting up a means-testing mechanism that is not necessary and would not be of use next year. I cannot, therefore, accept the amendment. Deputy Tóibín spoke about an amendment. I do not know if he has an amendment before the House but if he does, and it is as he indicated, I cannot accept it either. I thank everyone very much.

Sentiment score: 0.11