Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has said that the government’s failure to plan for the end of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) is becoming evident.

Deputy Ó Laoghaire was responding after reporting by the Irish Independent revealed details of a recent Cabinet Committee meeting which heard that almost 800 Ukrainians living in Ireland have applied for asylum since February 2022. 

Teachta Ó Laoghaire said:

“Sinn Féin has been arguing for some time that the government clearly needs to have a road-map for the ending of the Temporary Protection Directive. We have known for some time that the end of the Directive will come. The level of uncertainty that has presided over the issue to date is not fair on those fleeing the war in Ukraine and it is not fair on the public generally. There needs to be a road-map. 

“The government seems to be expressing surprise now, that in the absence of certainty, Ukrainians are taking decisions to apply for International Protection. This should come as no surprise. The two-tier system that currently exists is unsustainable. Any reduction in the supports offered to Ukrainians should be well communicated in advance and in line with other European countries.

“Ultimately, what is needed is additional resources for the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) to speed up the processing of international protection applications. The government did not make the necessary investment in this in the Budget last week, where they allocated just €25 million towards processing. 

“In our view, once the Temporary Protection Directive ends, the normal rules and legislation regarding migration should apply in the same way that they apply to other people fleeing conflict. 

“People who have come here from Ukraine have fled a terrible war of aggression, and the people of Ireland have responded with great support. It is not fair that the government are not being clear to people what their future is after this temporary legislation comes to an end. What we have at the minute is uncertainty and the concerns raised by senior Government officials underlines the fact that the government have not given this adequate consideration to date. 

“The current situation is in no one’s interests. Sinn Féin will be calling on the Minister to outline what the position of the government will be and what legislation will apply once the Temporary Protection Directive ends.”