The Irish government said its proposed reduction in social benefits brought the country in line with most EU states, while critics believe it will create more poverty and will hit children especially hard.
Ireland will significantly reduce social aid to refugees from Ukraine. From the September 1stweekly state aid to refugees will be reduced from 232 eurosweekly at only 38.80 euros.
The decision has been criticized by Irish left-wing parties, who claim that it will cause a increase in child poverty and will ultimately be a political distraction from other domestic problems.
“Well, the immediate implication will be a dramatic increase in child poverty in this country,” Paul Murphy, an MP from the People Before Profit party, told Euronews.
“We know that The vast majority of Ukrainian refugees here are women with their children.so it is a disgusting and cynical measure on the part of the Government,” added the Irish parliamentarian.
Subsidies for children will be paid at 29.80 euros per week. The payments will affect 19,000 refugeesdespite the fact that nearly 80,000 Ukrainians have moved to Ireland since the start of large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022.
With the reduction of aid, Ireland will get closer to what is paid in Francewhere housed refugees receive 47.60 euros per week, and non-housed refugees 99.40 euros for the same period.
In Germanythe citizen’s income is set at 563 euros per month, while child support amounts to 471 euros per month, that is, just under 120 euros per week.
The reception cools
The Irish Government said its proposal to reduce social benefits brought the country in line with most EU states. “It is a measure to do two things: put ourselves on par with our European counterparts of the entire Union, but also to make sure that the Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection are all on equal terms,” Senator Barry Ward of the Fine Gael party told ‘Euronews’. “So that it doesn’t depend on when you arrived in Ireland , everyone will receive the same.”
The changes are likely to discourage many refugees from considering a move to Ireland, as the housing shortage in the Irish economy It remains a difficult problem for the Government to solve.
This decision by the Irish Government seems to be sending a strong message: where before there was a irish welcome very warm for refugees from Ukraine, now it is starting to get cold.
