Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Since the outset of the terrible war in Ukraine and the brutal invasion by Russia nearly a year ago, we in Labour, alongside groups like the Ukraine Civil Society Forum, have been calling consistently for a more co-ordinated approach by Government to the housing of refugees and people seeking international protection here. We have called especially for a single and clear co-ordinated point of contact and centralised systems for managing the State response to this crisis. Back in December, it appeared as though our calls had been heard and we anticipated real change would come, but not so, it seems. Despite the appointment of the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O’Brien, who is doing his best alongside the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, and his Department, we are still seeing the locating of housing and provision of resources for those fleeing war and hardship being done ad hoc by the Government. Despite that change in December there is still this ad hoc approach with insufficient communication with Opposition parties, local public representatives or communities offering solidarity.

I agree with the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, when he says "no level of consultation" would change the views of some on housing refugees in their areas. What is needed is a centralised approach from Government to getting information out to local communities in a timely way when new accommodation is being opened to enable the provision of support to new residents in their area. Such a system would facilitate and support the amazing welcome shown across so many communities across the country, in both rural and urban areas, for those who seek refuge here.

It is undeniable there are sinister actors who are trying to further a far-right agenda in all this. A small number of people are seeking to exploit the information vacuum to sow fear and distrust in local communities. We have seen some awful reports of intimidation of families and children by protesters. This week we saw disruption of a Labour public meeting and our public representatives threatened for expressing solidarity with refugees, so this is a very scary time.

Those who engage in racist attacks must be condemned outright by all of us, but the Government has a responsibility here too. So far, we are not seeing sufficient cross-departmental support for the efforts of the Department of the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman. We especially need to see more from the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government and more from the Tánaiste's Department of Defence in the form of the repurposing of barracks across the country. We are not even seeing sufficient resourcing for the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, to ensure it has capacity to provide accommodation. What will change? At the very least, will we see the allocation of additional resources to IPAS, perhaps the appointment of a special Minister in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and a coherent, NPHET-style cross-departmental response co-ordinated by the Taoiseach with a CMO figure to take responsibility and act as a point person on this? Will we see a public information campaign and allocation of resources to communities to ensure supports can be rolled out for those who come here seeking refuge and supports to the local communities who wish to offer the céad míle fáilte to them?

There is a cross-Departmental approach and a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Taoiseach with a range of Departments and Ministers attending. Prior to Christmas, former Limerick city manager Conn Murray was appointed to co-ordinate the work on the accommodation side. It must be acknowledged this is by any distance the largest humanitarian operation ever undertaken by the State. We have never had such a level of refugees fleeing war coming into the country. People continue to arrive from Ukraine. It is quite shocking and I appreciate the Deputy's solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The Russian attack has been vicious, targeted against civilians and deliberately designed to create a migration crisis, along with an energy crisis and so on.

Ireland has responded well to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, with about 72,000 people now benefitting from temporary protection in Ireland. About 15,000 international protection applicants have arrived here. Overall, we have accommodated about 73,000 in total, between Ukrainians and international protection applicants. The greatest pressure is on accommodation for the latter. My own Department has made Kilbride Army Camp available for international protection applicants. It had previously been available for Ukrainian refugees as a transit location. I am not clear what the Deputy means by the repurposing of barracks. There has been a significant policy over the last number of decades of closure of barracks and there is investment going into barracks for the purposes of the military. It is important we acknowledge the role of our Defence Forces and the importance of not undermining them in this process, but they are available to help and assist in any former barracks in standing up accommodation, for example. That facility has been made available to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and I have made that very clear.

On the communication issue, we acknowledge there can be better communication in respect of some aspects of this. The €50 million we have allocated to a community fund is very important and I would like to see that done strategically in response to genuine needs within communities who have been very welcoming and who have large numbers of refugees and international protection applicants in their areas. That fund will be under the Minister for Rural and Community Development. It is an important fund for engaging with communities who have been very responsive. I pay tribute to many of the schools, people in education and teachers, who have gone to exceptional levels to work with Ukrainian children and young people on their educational needs, and I have witnessed that at first hand myself.

I am, frankly, disappointed by the Tánaiste's response. He has listed figures and mentioned the Cabinet sub-committee but as he said himself this is an unprecedented challenge, due to the scale of it, and we are not seeing from the Government the sort of scaled-up response required. We in the Opposition who are seeking to show solidarity are often finding out about plans in communities after the far right does and we want to work with communities to show support. I engaged with protesters seeking information in my constituency but I did not have information to provide to them. We need to see a more co-ordinated response from Government, a centralised point of contact and clear evidence of the cross-departmental approach that will give the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the support it clearly needs.

The response I and others are getting to parliamentary questions is confirming the lack of support from other Government Departments for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We are seeing clear evidence of lack of capacity in IPAS to address this unprecedented challenge. We must ensure there are supports in place for communities. Communities are stepping up and showing incredible support and an incredible welcome but we need to see Government working with the Opposition. I welcome the cross-party committee that is being planned but we must see a stronger, Covid-style response from the Government at a centralised level to this.

Hear, hear.

The response has been unprecedented and it is the sheer numbers that have created the challenges. We will work on some of the suggestions the Deputy has made. There is cross-departmental engagement. The Department of Justice is heavily involved in this on the international protection aspect.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is also. The Office of Public Works, OPW, in the first phase of modular housing has made significant progress and the first houses will be coming onstream within weeks in respect of the rapid build. We want to develop that and accelerate the pace of rapid build for both refugees and also for the purposes of social housing and then the reconfiguration of building. All of that work is under way. It is not fair to say that other Departments are not supporting the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

That is how it looks.

I believe they are and I would be fairly clear on that. Obviously, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is the central Department involved in the migration issue and international protection. That was ordained by the programme for Government but our response to this has to be cross-departmental. To be fair, when one thinks of the work of the Department of Social Protection, for example, there has been tremendous work done in facilitating people.

No one is doubting that.

Has the Tánaiste seen the protests?

The protests are not-----

We are over time.

It is not working. They are finding out before we are.

Táimid ag bogadh ar aghaidh anois chuig an Teachta Boyd Barrett.