IRELAND: Varadkar claims that Ireland won't set a cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees arriving

 IRELAND: Ireland will not be putting a cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees that arrive here despite those fleeing the war forced to sleep at Dublin Airport.

And more tented campsites are expected to be erected to help cope with the influx of people.

Tanáiste Leo Varadkar said people “can’t be blind” as to what is happening in the world which has led to the displacement of five million Ukrainians.

He said: “Certainly in relation to people coming from Ukraine, we don’t have any plans to limit numbers. Nobody wants to see people having to see people in the airport, that’s not an acceptable situation.

"Forty thousand people have arrived from Ukraine, and another 30,000 to 40,000 work permits are being awarded to address critical skill gaps in Ireland, such as those in our healthcare industry and other areas. Additionally, perhaps 15,000 people are anticipated to receive international protection.

"That is extraordinary; it's not far off from 100,000 individuals arriving to the country this year.

"Some of it is planned, most of it is unplanned, and it will be challenging to deal with. We're going to have to pull out all the stops to try and provide additional accommodations and do everything we can. But this is an unprecedented situation and one that Governments in Europe are facing due to the war in Ukraine and other factors."

180 refugees spent Thursday night at the Dublin Airport, according to the most recent information from government officials; 140 had arrived the previous night.

Up to 30 migrants were reportedly staying at the old terminal building on Friday afternoon, despite the fact that it is understood the majority of people were relocated to other types of housing.

On Friday morning, a bus carrying about 50 people—mostly women and children—left the old terminal building for Citywest. Up to 60 or more Ukrainian refugees are anticipated to arrive in Ireland this weekend.

Although contracts have not yet been decided, it is thought that the government has chosen a second receiving centre that is comparable to Citywest and is in the consultation process. Similar to Gormanstown, which will be used starting on Monday, Mr. Varadkar suggested that further army camps will be established.

Mr. Varadkar emphasised the urgent need to hasten the process of resettling refugees into housing provided by the general public. "Gormanstown isn't the only army camp; we have more camps planned," he remarked.

"We must speed up the processing and acceptance of bids; the system has been far too slow to do so. I believe that the vast majority of those who are willing to offer a vacation house or a space in their own home are not financially motivated.

"That's not the point; the point is that individuals are addressing a humanitarian need. I can assure you that Poles who have welcomed guests into their homes did not receive €400.

"Speding up the process for individuals who have made offers can make a difference. I do know from personal experience of folks who have offered room in their house and it's been way too slow to contact them or screen them.

Speaking to reporters in Galway on Friday, the head of Fine Gael stated that Ireland would not be putting a limit on the number of Ukrainian refugees coming here and that the Government lacked the ability to do so due to European legislation.

"Remember, while we're struggling with 40,000 individuals from Ukraine, Poland has two million. We're actually taking our fair share and perhaps not quite enough," he continued.

“That is the truth of it.

“Five million people have been displaced from Ukraine in an appalling, illegal, cruel war being waged on the people of Ukraine and if we turn our backs on them and we say no, what happens to them?

“Camps in France and Greece for example and they’ve had them for a very long time so what we’re seeing in Ireland at the moment is something that we’ve never seen before.”