Ukrainians currently living on Gerald Griffin St in Blackpool to be relocated to facilitate new arrivals

THE Department of Integration has confirmed that Ukrainians living in a former convent in Blackpool will be moved elsewhere to facilitate a new use of the centre.

It was announced on Wednesday that — in line with new legislation to bring into effect a revised approach to supporting new arrivals from Ukraine, commencing yesterday — six new centres will provide 90 days of accommodation.

Five of six designated accommodation centres were announced by the Department of Integration this week, including the former convent on Gerald Griffin Street, Cork, with capacity for 107 people.

The department confirmed to The Echo yesterday that Ukrainian refugees were already living in the Cork centre and had been since last year.

The former North Presentation Convent building on Gerald Griffin Street in Blackpool is currently housing Ukrainian refugees, and has been since December 2023, with the contract due to be in place until December 2024.

It was offered to the department as potential accommodation for beneficiaries of temporary protection in 2022, but required significant works to be undertaken first.

In response to a query about the people already resident there, a spokesperson for the department told The Echo: “The accommodation centre at North Presentation Convent in Cork city has only been in use since December 2023.

“Beneficiaries of temporary protection who were located there have/are being moved to other locations in the city.”

They explained that “all emergency accommodation is intended to be short-term only and for operational reasons it often becomes necessary to move people, sometimes at short notice. As in this case, where such necessities arise, every effort is made to keep people in the general locality.”

Sinn Féin Cork North Central TD Thomas Gould previously criticised the Government for “reannouncing an already-opened accommodation centre” and said that this latest information only confuses people more.

A briefing document on the centre explained that the accommodation is in own-door rooms with ancillary facilities within the building, and that it is catered. It added: “The safety and security of the beneficiaries of temporary protection residents is of paramount importance.”

The new arrivals to the centre will be provided with food, laundry, other services and integration supports in designated accommodation centres, but benefits will be less than those enjoyed by Ukrainians already in Ireland.

They will be entitled to a reduced weekly allowance of €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child in respect of daily expenses, though the changes do not affect child benefit, and they will be entitled to apply for standard social welfare assistance after securing their own accommodation.

The new legislation will not affect people from Ukraine who arrived in Ireland before this policy came into force and are already registered for temporary protection, so they will not need to adhere to the legislation which entitles them to only 90 days of State accommodation.

Ballyogan Road in Dublin City will provide capacity for 392 people; Stradbally, Co Laois, will provide capacity for 950; Fernbank, Limerick City, will provide capacity for 250; and Punchestown, Co Kildare, will provide capacity for 378.