COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 12, 2022

QUESTION NO.

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive to update members on his engagement in respect of matters relating to refugees from Ukraine; will he detail assistance being offered and will he make a statement

REPLY:

The South Dublin Community Response Forum, chaired by the Council's Chief Executive, continues to coordinate the community-led response to support Ukrainian refugees as they arrive in the County. The forum brings relevant statutory, community and voluntary agencies together at a local level to be an information source and signpost to services including local health, education, social and other integration needs as well as identifying and addressing issues arising for Ukrainian refugees in the County where possible. The Mayor of South Dublin County, Councillor Emma Murphy, also participates in this forum on behalf of the Elected Members of the Council.

The Government is currently providing accommodation to Ukrainian refugees through the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) with the oversight of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY).    Further information in this regard is available here:https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/d9f43-international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/. Housing supports are not being directly provided by this Council at this stage, but this Council is supporting DCEDIY and IPAS as required in their ongoing work to provide accommodation.  This includes assessment and inspection of pledged vacant properties which are then passed to our implementing partner, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), for placement of households.  In addition, IOM are managing assessment of and placements to shared properties in the County.

Through the Forum, the Council is working with the range of statutory and voluntary partners, in particular South Dublin County Partnership and the South Dublin Volunteer Centre, to provide supports and address issues and challenges arising for Ukrainian households arriving and staying in the County.  There is also ongoing engagement between agencies to provide assistance with care, transport, recreation and other needs to ensure that these households continue to be welcomed and supported in the County.