Confusion over status of Wicklow hotel paid €5.5m to house Ukrainians
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has provided The Avon Hotel in Blessington with a total of €5,529,949 for offering accommodation to Ukrainians and the associated costs from Q3 of 2022, when they first started accommodating them, though to Q4 of 2024.
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Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Irish Independent
Over 900 properties in Wexford now under accommodation payment scheme
Wicklow Wexford TD, Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin, has said that the number is a significant rise in the number of properties being awarded payments under the scheme for Ukrainians in County Wexford. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin said it is very concerning at a time of rising rents and an ongoing housing crisis. The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a tax-free monthly financial contribution of €600 available to landlords who provide housing for people who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. 'There are now 941 properties in receipt of payments under the ARP in County Wexford. We have the 7th highest figure in the state - doubling that of neighbouring Co. Wicklow; almost doubling Co. Carlow and more than three times that of Co. Kilkenny. 'This is an extremely significant rise when you consider the small number of properties that are available to rent in Wexford at present' said Deputy Ó Súilleabháin. Deputy Ó Súilleabháin further said the scheme has had negative impacts on those who are trying to secure housing. 'The failure of the government to recognise the impact of this scheme on the private rental sector is outrageous, particularly given soaring rents and the fact that we are in the middle of such a severe housing crisis. The figures revealed in a Parliamentary question to Sinn Féin show an increase in every county, and an overall rise of 3,125, in the number of properties being awarded ARP payments between January and July of this year.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Irish Independent
Hundreds of parents face childcare fee hikes as three providers drop state funding scheme deemed ‘insufficient'
One of the childcare businesses is a provider in Cork that caters for 450 children. Stephanie Roy, director of Ibec's Childcare Services Ireland, said the providers who are members have sent letters to parents informing them of their decision. She said they run services at 10 locations in Dublin and Cork. Ollie Sheehan, owner and director of Mary Geary Childcare in Carrigtwohill in Cork, runs one of the services. He said it plans to increase its fees by 34pc next month after pulling out of the scheme. He said it is the country's largest standalone facility and provides services for 450 children on one site. There is insufficient funding for providers 'Core Funding isn't working,' he said. 'There is insufficient funding for providers, and we are locked into fees from 2019. That's a huge problem as costs are rising. The other thing for me is that the Government has no plan to recognise high-quality childcare within the scheme.' He added administrative costs have increased. His facility used to employ one full-time and one part-time staff member and now has three full-time and three part-time staff dealing with it. A spokesperson at the Department of Children said eight services have withdrawn from this year's Core Funding programme to date. She said this is out of over 4,400 services that are in contract for the 2024 to 2035 programme year. Ms Roy claimed that some providers have reached a 'tipping point' due to funding shortfalls. If we're going towards €200 a month childcare, that means demand is going to increase She said they do not feel they are being listened to and are frustrated with aspects of the scheme. However, she welcomed the fact that a provider forum, a commitment of the previous minister, is due to meet in September. ADVERTISEMENT Ms Roy said providers have multiple issues, including an alleged 'lack of responsiveness' from the Department of Children. She said one issue concerns staff ratios, and the need for extra support when educators may have to leave the room or take a child to the toilet. Ms Roy said Core Funding pays for a certain number of staff, and this does not necessarily align with the way providers operate. She said caps on fees mean the return on investment takes longer to achieve. 'If we're going towards €200 a month childcare, that means demand is going to increase,' she said. 'At the same time the appetite for risk is going down.' The department spokesperson said it is regrettable that any service would choose to withdraw from Core Funding. The number of services participating in the scheme has grown each year She said funding will increase to over €390m next month for year four of the scheme, representing an increase of over 50pc in three years. The scheme is contingent on the new minimum rates of pay, which are set to rise by 10pc to €15 for educators and €20.25 for graduate managers. 'The department notes that warnings regarding Core Funding participation have been circulated in the summer months for the past three years,' the spokesperson said. 'However, the number of services participating in the scheme has grown each year, with record numbers of services currently engaging in the scheme.'
Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Extra.ie
Scheme to house Ukrainians 'is hindering the rental market'
The scheme to help house Ukrainians is having a 'negative impact' on the rental market, the Cabinet has been told. Ministers this week decided any property registered with the Residential Tenancies Board since 2022 will be exempt from the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) that helps house Ukrainians. This is due to concerns it was 'impacting on the rental market'. Sources indicated that councils had noted situations where landlords had evicted tenants and then offered accommodation through the ARP scheme instead. The scheme to help house Ukrainians is having a 'negative impact' on the rental market, the Cabinet has been told. Pic: Getty Images Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan and Housing Minister James Browne got approval this week for proposals to limit the eligibility of some properties for the ARP. The ARP is a tax-free, €600-a-month payment given to those providing accommodation pledged to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) from Ukraine. The changes mean any property registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) at any time since January 1, 2022 will be ineligible for a new application for the ARP. Existing claimants are unaffected. It is expected that a memo will be submitted in the autumn seeking the Government's approval of the publication of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which will contain the legal changes for this amendment. Senior Government sources said the goal of the change is to 'limit further exits of properties' from the rental market to house Ukrainians. There are around 20,000 homes using the scheme. Sources said that of these, just over 3,000 homes that had been on the RTB register were removed, while still being used as part of the ARP scheme, to accommodate Ukrainians instead. Around 5,700 homes were added to the RTB by other owners of properties who were using the ARP scheme. Senior Government sources said the goal of the change is to 'limit further exits of properties' from the rental market to house Ukrainians. Pic: Getty Images The remaining 11,000 or so homes are not on the register and are likely to have Ukrainians living in them. The ARP scheme is also not governed by Rent Pressure Zones. Some landlords were taking properties off the rental market and renting them out under the ARP scheme, with the intention to put them back on the market at market rent, instead of being governed by the annual 2% rule. There is now a fear some landlords may evict Ukrainians on March 1 next year when they will be able to reset the rates to market levels under the rules introduced by Minister Browne this year. Government sources said there were problems in the system and the latest measure were designed to deal with them. They stressed that the proposals were not retrospective and would apply to properties not used to house Ukrainians. One Cabinet minister said: 'It's to stop the movement of units out of the private rental sector, into this sector. That's been a trend that is of concern to the Department of Housing. So, it was to put that extra layer of conditionality on how it works.' There is a concern that if the Government reduces the €600 fee even further it could have a 'spillover' back into the private rental market. Sources indicated that councils had noted situations where landlords had evicted tenants and then offered accommodation through the ARP scheme instead. Pic: Shutterstock The minister added: 'I mean, in some instances it could be holiday homes or homes that wouldn't otherwise be put on the private rental side. But in the overall scheme of things, it's trying to mitigate that risk.' Sinn Féin has been calling for a full review of the system. Its justice and home affairs spokesman, Matt Carthy, said the move by the Government did not go 'far enough'. He said figures obtained via parliamentary questions showed a 17% rise in properties getting payment under the scheme since the start of 2025. He said the scheme was 'deeply unfair' as it gives access to non-means-tested housing support to one group of people but not to others, even where those others may be on lower wages.
