On behalf of the Labour Party, I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all of the staff in Leinster House for all of their immense work over the past term and I hope that everybody enjoys a well-earned break over the recess.

I raise concerns about accommodation for those who have come here to our shores seeking refuge, particularly from the brutal war in Ukraine. There are concerning reports today that the transit centre at City West Hotel is accommodating more than 1,000 people and has no longer any further capacity. We know that there are sites like the former Baggot Street hospital in my own constituency still sitting vacant. I know that the Tánaiste said that the Cabinet subcommittee will meet this afternoon to consider contingency planning and responses but, clearly, this is a serious issue of humanitarian concern. Front-line staff across the public service are doing their very best but the situation is very difficult. What will happen to refugees from Ukraine who arrive in Ireland today and over the weekend? Will the Government heed the calls of the Ukraine Civil Society Forum for a national refugee response lead for the settlement of refugees here?

I thank the Deputy very much. There has been an increase in the number of Ukrainians arriving in Ireland across June and July. We think this may be related to the increased targeting of civilian infrastructure across Ukraine. Last night 12 people died in a missile attack on a city in western Ukraine.

We are still responding to a wartime situation. A subcommittee of Cabinet Ministers will meet this afternoon, as the Deputy said. My Department has been working very closely with other agencies including the OPW, HSE and the Department of Defence to provide emergency accommodation for people who are arriving right now.

Our target for that emergency accommodation is to provide it for the people who are in Dublin airport right now and to reduce the numbers in the City West Hotel. Obviously, places like Baggot Street hospital need to be brought online as well but that will not give us the emergency capacity that we are searching for right now.

I too want to raise the issue of the accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. The response the Minister has just given there is probably the same response that would have been given five months ago when this crisis started. I know that no Government could been prepared for what happened. We are, however, five months down the road and all of the kite-flying on such things as modular homes, incentives for holiday homes and vacant State properties have not eventuated.

People, in fact, who have offered own-door accommodation five months ago still have that accommodation sitting empty. That is unacceptable. Why are refugees fleeing the war sleeping on floors when there is free accommodation waiting and ready for them?

More than 2,000 displaced Ukrainian persons are being housed in pledged accommodation at the moment, both vacant and shared, and that number is growing. I recognise that the process is not moving fast enough and that will be one of the issues we will discuss at our meeting later. It is important to recognise that we have grown our accommodation capacity. The State is accommodating 30,000 Ukrainian refugees-----

The Minister is not using the premises that are available.

The Minister without interruption, please.

-----along with 12,000 people seeking international protection. That is a total of 42,000 people. We were accommodating 7,000 people at the same time last year. The change in scale and the extent to which our capacity, need and how we have increased our capacity to accommodate people has to be recognised as well while always recognising that we need to do more.

I raise the same issue with the Minister. We have a crisis now in emergency accommodation for people fleeing the terrible war in Ukraine and other wars and conflicts around the world. We should not distinguish between people suffering in horrendous circumstances or conflicts anywhere in the world. We also have, however, our own homelessness and housing crisis. It all points to the fact that we have to do more and we have to plan.

The simple thing that should be done, which we have been calling for, is that all evictions into homelessness should stop now. This is an emergency and emergency measures need to be taken to get into use vacant houses and properties that are littering the towns and cities of this country. These are being sat on with no justification in many places.

I agree with the Deputy on our moral responsibility but also our legal responsibilities to provide accommodation for Ukrainians who are displaced persons under the EU temporary protection directive and those seeking international protection while their application is being adjudicated on.

International protection is incredibly important and we must make sure there is confidence and strength in that system. There are people fleeing wars in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria who need the support of international protection. That is why, as well as our provision of accommodation for Ukrainians, we are now accommodating 12,000 people. There has been a significant increase in international protection applicants and a range of factors is responsible for that. These include the post-Covid-19 situation and the change in the UK policy, which has also had a significant impact in respect of the large increase in the numbers seeking international protection here.