I wish to raise the issue of reports in newspapers this morning on housing Ukrainian refugees in tents and prefabs. While I understand that there needs to be a short-term response I also believe we need to have a long-term housing strategy for the numbers of refugees that we will be taking from Ukraine. Some figures suggest up to 200,000. The figure is probably going to be lower than that but there needs to be a long-term strategy. We know from history that even when people think they are going to go back within a short timeframe, that often is not the case. In some countries there are refugees who have been living for two or three generations in what essentially are tented cities. We need to make ensure that does not happen here. I wrote to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on this last week to ask him to outline the strategy to the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I was told that it is the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. It is not. There needs to be a whole-of-government response because it is important that we have a long-term strategy in regard to social welfare, schools and housing. It is very important that we start planning for that now in order that we do not see a situation in ten years’ time where children are growing up in tents or prefabs.

The second issue I wish to raise is the issue of the tenant in situ scheme. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage put a limit on local authorities of 200 housing units that they can buy where there is a tenant in situ. It is understandable that first-time buyers are given an opportunity to purchase a place that they call home but these limits are having the consequence whereby people who are getting social housing support through the housing assistance payment, HAP, are then being evicted by smaller landlords who are leaving the housing market. It should be that local authorities are able to purchase that house where there is a tenant in situ and house them through the local authority. When getting HAP, you are in housing need, you are on the local authority housing list and it is unacceptable that because of these limits – and I understand the intention behind them – there is an unintended consequence of forcing people who require social housing support, into homelessness. The Minister needs to look at flexibility around the tenant in situ scheme. Dublin City Council councillors have written to him on this issue and he needs to respond and allow local authorities to purchase housing where there is a tenant in situ getting social housing support.

I am very much looking forward to the debate on the Ukrainian situation in Fine Gael's Private Members' time this evening. There are many questions and unintended situations presenting themselves. I thank the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland for accepting my invitation last Saturday when she visited Lisdoonvarna and Ballyvaughan in County Clare, where there is now a significant number of Ukrainian citizens living among us. It was an extremely emotional and very powerful visit. Everybody there was quite moved, with more than 100 children singing the Ukrainian national anthem. The ambassador then did a town hall meeting in Ukrainian for the Ukrainian people. Certainly it meant a lot to them and gave them reassurance. I thank the ambassador for that.

I also wish to congratulate Conal Henry on his appointment as chair of the Shannon Group board. I wish him the very best in what is an extremely important job. It is a pity that our former colleague in the Seanad, Pádraig Ó Céidigh, felt it necessary to step down. Questions need to be answered as to why Mr. Ó Céidigh had to make that decision. I believe there is a role for the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications in terms of establishing the reasons. Was there an exit interview with Mr. Ó Céidigh by the Minister for Transport to glean and understand why he made such a decision so quickly? It does not favour confidence in what is happening in Shannon. We should ask the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications to see if there is a role for it to get to the bottom of why Mr. Ó Céidigh decided to step down. That said, I believe it is important to reiterate our best wishes to Conal Henry because Shannon is essentially the cockpit for the entire mid-west tourism industry. For decades, Shannon brought thousands upon thousands of passengers in, who came to visit our area. Between Aer Lingus and other airlines there were more than 3 million passengers coming through Shannon Airport at one stage. It is critically important that it is successful from an economic, connectivity and a job creation perspective.