Pensions and disability payments of 2,500 Ukrainians refugees to be cut

The Government initially put in place the highest welfare rates for Ukrainian refugees when tens of thousands of refugees came to Ireland two years ago.

Welfare benefits for refugees have been cut in several phases. At first, the Government announced those who came here from mid-March would have their welfare cut from €232 per week to €38.80, the same amount given to those in direct provision.

Last week, the Government announced around 27,000 refugees in state-serviced accommodation, regardless of when they came to Ireland, would also have their payments cut to €38.80.

Fine Gael Minister Heather Humphreys has now confirmed this includes around 2,500 pensioners and people in receipt of disability payments.

“We are reducing the payment for people who are in fully-serviced accommodation,” she said.

“Fully-serviced accommodation means that you get your food, your light, your heat, you get all of the utilities provided for. We’re phasing that in, it’ll happen in August.

“For those people who have disabilities or pensioners, there’s roughly about 2,500.”

She said pensioners living in Ireland pay for their own housing and bills.

“If you’re a pensioner in Ireland, you have your own accommodation, you have to provide that yourself, you have to pay your light, you have to pay for your electricity, you have to pay for your water, you have to pay for your own utilities,” Minister Humphreys said.

“What we’re doing here is we’re saying that you have everything provided for – you have food, utilities, all of these services, are being provided for. So, we feel that when you’re getting all of those supports, the payment should be reduced.

She insisted the welfare cuts are “the same across the board and we’re treating people fairly”.

Minister Humphreys also defended having the highest welfare rates for refugees when Russia first invaded Ukraine.

“If you think back when the Ukrainian war happened, people came here and we saw them – they came here with nothing only the clothes on their backs and maybe a couple of belongings in a plastic bag,” she said.

“But that situation has changed now and we have to put this on a sustainable footing.”