Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2022-04-06
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Peter Fitzpatrick (IND), Louth

I said it before that we cannot put a price on a family atmosphere. These families are not looking for profit, they are simply looking for support for the extra costs that they have incurred. While I appreciate the Taoiseach’s reply, he never once mentioned the people. These people went up to Dublin Airport, they collected these families and they took them back in good faith. Now they realise that there is a serious cost there. Many of these families have children and family of their own. With ESB bills, electricity bills and all of these bills rising, all they are doing is looking for a bit of help.
The Government is quick enough to pay the hotels. It is quick enough to pay the bed and breakfasts. They are not looking for a profit. On social protection, I acknowledge that these refugees are getting social welfare, which is fine, but they need they need that money for themselves, for shoes and clothes for their own family.
There is goodwill here and Ireland has been good. The Taoiseach said to President Zelenksyy this morning that, “Our home is your home”. These families are saying, “Our homes are the refugees’ homes”. They thought this war would last maybe four or five weeks. Now all of a sudden it might go on for two more weeks or six more weeks. The families do not know. Not one family who came to me said that they would change their mind, but they need help. They cannot afford to pay the bills. The last thing they want to do is have a conflict between them-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-04-06/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:50:20+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-04-06