No space left for Ukrainian refugees in some Tipperary GP practices and schools, council meeting told

The influx of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine  means GP practices and schools in some areas of the county are now full, Tipperary County Council’s Cathaoirleach told the council’s annual budget meeting. 

Cllr Roger Kennedy said some refugees staying in the county now face going to hospital emergency departments or travelling to family doctors between 20 and 50 miles from where they are living because the GP practices around them are at capacity and can’t take any more people. 

The Fianna Fáil councillor from Camas, near Cashel also pointed out that some refugees landed out in isolated places don’t have bus routes to enable them to access services they require. 

He asked the council if it was getting funding from central Government to finance the work its staff is doing to place Ukrainian refugees in accommodation in the county. 

Cllr Seamus Hanafin agreed there were “serious issues” in relation to finding doctors and schools for Ukrainian refugees and he sincerely hoped the council was getting funding from central government for the work it was doing to find accommodation for them. 

The council’s Housing Director Sinead Carr confirmed that the work the council is doing in relation to housing Ukrainian refugees is being 100% funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth both in terms of secondment of existing staff and extra staff the council had to take on. 

She acknowledged that probably the most critical pressure was on GP practices and schools. 

She  praised them for the way they have “gone out of their way” to accommodate incoming refugees. “It has been an extraordinary challenge for them,” she said. 

She said more than 600 refugees have so far passed through the two refugee “Rest Centres” at the Moycarkey-Borris Community Centre in Littleton and Dr Pat O’Callaghan Sports Centre in Clonmel. 

Meanwhile, 182 people have been   accommodated in 65 properties in the county in  the first round of  Red Cross accommodation pledge. 

A total of 116 people  were accommodated in vacant properties while 66 people were put up in shared properties.

  She said 113 shared and vacant rural properties were offered that are currently too rural to use for accommodating refugees. But they may be an option if  transport issues can be resolved. 

 She stressed the figures don’t include hotel accommodation  and accommodation from  commercial arrangements.with other people.  

Ms Carr said she has raised issues in relation to supporting and integrating refugees with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability,  Integration & Youth. She believed that message had got through. 

“Where a significant number of individuals are being accommodated in one area, the system does need additional support. 

“The community has been extraordinary. Tipperary is one of the highest counties in terms of accommodation offers across the country. 

“A significant portion of those offers has been taken up.”

She said a  second call out was being made for vacant properties to house refugees, which the council is handling. The Red Cross is still managing shared property offers.