The Irish government said its proposed reduction in welfare payments brought the country into line with most EU states, while its opponents believe it will create further poverty, especially affecting children.
ADVERTISEMENTIreland is to significantly reduce welfare payments for refugees from Ukraine. From 1 September onward, weekly state payments to refugees will be reduced from €232 per week to just €38.80.
The decision has been criticised by left-wing parties in Ireland who say it will lead to an increase in child poverty and ultimately amount to being a political distraction from other domestic problems.
“Well, the immediate implication will be a dramatic rise in child poverty in this country," Paul Murphy, a Teachta Dála from the People Before Profit party, told Euronews.
“We know that the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees who are here are women and their children. So it’s really quite a disgusting move, quite a cynical move by the government,” the Irish Parliament MP added.
Allowances for children will be paid at €29.80 per week. The payments will affect 19,000 refugees even though close to 80,000 Ukrainians have moved to Ireland since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The reduction in payments will see Ireland come close to what is being paid in France, where accommodated refugees receive €47.60 per week, and unaccommodated refugees receive €99.40 for the same period.
In Germany, the citizen’s income is fixed at €563 per month, while the payment for children stands at €471 per month, or just under €120 per week.
The welcome going cold
The Irish government said its proposed reduction in welfare payments brought the country into line with most EU states.
“It’s a move to do two things, to put us on the same footing as our European counterparts around the union but also to make sure that Ukrainian temporary protection recipients here are all on the same footing," Senator Barry Ward from the Fine Gael Party told Euronews.
“So it doesn’t depend on when you arrived in Ireland, everybody will get the same.”
The changes are likely to discourage many refugees from considering a move to Ireland as a shortage in housing in the Irish economy continues to be a difficult problem for the government to solve.
This decision by the Irish government appears to be sending out a strong message: it is that where there was once a very warm Irish welcome for refugees from Ukraine, that welcome is now starting to go cold.