Ireland officials expect increase in Ukrainian refugees to 70,000

Robert Besser
22 Nov 2022, 20:38 GMT+10

An additional 12,000 Ukrainian refugees are expected to arrive in Ireland in 2022, according to government officials.
While 58,511 Ukrainians have been settled in IThe Department of Integration said it expects the number of Ukrainians coming to Ireland will exceed 70,000 people by the end of 2022.
To date, Ireland has spent 617 million euros to provide accommodations and services to Ukrainian refugees, and others seeking international protection in Ireland.

DUBLIN, Ireland: An additional 12,000 Ukrainian refugees are expected to arrive in Ireland in 2022, according to government officials.

This would bring the total number of Ukrainians living in Ireland to over 70,000.

To date, Ireland has spent 617 million euros to provide accommodations and services to Ukrainian refugees, and others seeking international protection in Ireland, the latest figures show. That amount is expected to exceed 1 billion euros in 2023.

While 58,511 Ukrainians have been settled in Ireland, the Irish Examiner reports that the Department of Integration said it expects the number of Ukrainians coming to Ireland will exceed 70,000 people by the end of 2022.

At the same time, both Ukrainian refugees and Irish officials have expressed frustration at the inability to find additional housing for new arrivals.

Figures from the State's Ukraine Crisis Temporary Accommodation Team reports that 337 million euros have been spent on accommodations and services for refugees, as of November 11, 2022.

Also, 280 million euros has been spent on housing and services in 2022 for non-Ukrainian refugees.

Meanwhile, a government spokesperson said that it is expected that refugees will continue arriving into 2023 and "the outlook for the availability of suitable accommodation is extremely challenging," as quoted by the Irish Examiner.

Speaking to RTE this week, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said Ireland cannot "guarantee everyone accommodation, or high-standard accommodation, but we will give people shelter, and whatever we have to do we'll make sure that happens."

Additionally, government figures indicate that 34,000 Ukrainians are being housed in tourist hotels and guesthouses.

Also, figures show that the counties of Cork, Clare, Donegal, Kerry, Dublin, and Galway are hosting the largest numbers of Ukrainians in Ireland, with between 3,000 and 5,000 each.

An additional 50 million euros is being set aside by the government to assist local authorities in housing refugees, with applications expected to open in early January.