There is a “lot of frustration” within Government about the length of time it is taking to verify and approve offers of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

The Transport Minister Eamon Ryan is calling for the vetting system to be reviewed so that it is “much more flexible and much quicker”.

Around 25,000 households pledged accommodation to refugees through the Red Cross portal when the war began; however, over 15,000 have fallen through.

It is believed around 10,000 people were uncontactable, while 5,600 withdrew their offer.

Around 2,800 vacant properties were offered – but less than one-third have been inspected to date.

Meanwhile less than half the 6,500 people who offered shared accommodation have been asked to take part in the vetting process. Of those around 1,000 have been vetted by Gardaí.

'Frustrating'

Speaking at the announcement of a new agreement to purchase hundreds of double-decker electric buses this morning, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the delays are frustrating.

“There is a lot of frustration within Government about a system that seems to be very slow around verifying and approving,” he said.

“There are all sorts of complexities around that. Maybe people who are offered certain accommodation are saying well no that is not the type of accommodation we want.

“So, I think we will have to review that and make sure that it is speeded up, it is much more flexible and it is much quicker.”

"Really challenging"

He warned that, even if all the offers of accommodation in the system are put into use, the country is still facing a “really challenging situation” with the numbers coming in.

“With 1,400 people coming in a month now seeking refugee status and using the international refugee process; with over 35,000 people coming from Ukraine there is a massive strain on the system,” he said.

“Any country, any Government, in those circumstances is going to have difficulty.

“Particularly towards later in the summer, particularly as we start to see student accommodation going back to students, there is a real challenge. It is very, very difficult.

“But we will have to manage. We committed at the very start of the war that the right thing to do – and I think the Irish people agree with this - is to keep our doors open, unlike our neighbours who haven’t taken the same approach.

“And unlike our neighbours, we don’t agree with the sort of approach where you might send a refugee back to another country as a solution to what is a really challenging problem.”

He said the Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman would have to work with other departments to respond to what is a “huge challenge, just given the numbers.”

"Huge challenge"

On Newstalk Breakfast meanwhile, Minister O’Gorman said Ireland is “definitely going to be under pressure” as the summer comes to an end and students go back to college.

Reports this morning indicated that thousands of Ukrainian refugees could be left with nowhere to live as State contracts with hotels expire at the end of June and students return at the end of August.

Minister O’Gorman said the Cabinet sub-committee on Ukraine would discuss solutions this afternoon.

“Again, we’ve been successful in turning over and lengthening a significant number of the hotel contracts,” he said.

“The Cabinet committee on Ukraine is meeting later today and I know the Department of Housing will be providing an update in terms of the additional accommodation units they’re working on to bring forward.

“That is going to be really important. There are about 3,000 units proposed there.”