‘Now time to unwind special supports’ — Thousands of Ukrainian refugees getting Irish pension. This is a Focking Disgrace, our Own People have to Fight and fill in Forms after Forms, to Get a Pension.

25/04/2025

Over 5,500 Ukrainian refugees are getting an Irish pension, costing the State in excess of €14million so far, Extra.ie can reveal.

Under the Temporary Protection Directive, triggered by the Russian invasion in March 2022, Ukrainians fleeing to Ireland could avail of a number of social assistance payments, including the non-contributory State pension of €278 per week.By comparison, the average pension in Ukraine is around €150 per month, but many earn less than this, with some 43% of pensioners receiving less than €90 per month.

Ireland was widely seen as one of the most generous countries among EU members for Ukrainian refugees, prompting concerns over a ‘pull factor’ as accommodation spaces dried up.

Last September, the Government moved to cut off or reduce benefits for Ukrainians in a bid to save money and to reduce the incentive to move to Ireland – responding to public pressure in relation to immigration.

This included the ability to access the non-contributory State pension.

However, more than 5,500 ­refugees who arrived before the benefit was slashed last year are still collecting the payment, at a total cost of €14.2million to the State so far, according to figures from the Department of Social Protection.The department did not answer directly when asked by Extra.ie if those receiving the pension would continue to be paid indefinitely.

A spokesman said: ‘All recipients of State pension non-contributory are obliged to report any change in circumstances and may be subject to periodic review to ensure they continue to receive the correct entitlement.Sinn Féin foreign affairs ­spokesman Matt Carthy said that it is time for those supports to be unwound. He told us: ‘The Irish people responded with generosity to those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

‘However, since the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) was introduced, Ukrainians have received a range of benefits that international protection applicants are excluded from, creating a two-tier system.

‘Some measures such as the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) have distorted the rental market and are unfair as, unlike other housing benefits, no means test is applied.

‘While these additional supports were introduced as part of an emergency response when the war broke out, three years on it is now time to unwind special supports for beneficiaries of temporary protection that exceed the requirements of the Temporary Protection Directive.’

Mr Carthy said the discrepancy between the Ukrainian pension and the Irish pension meant there was no incentive for these Ukrainians to go back to their home country once the war ends.

‘The changes that need to be made need to be done in a planned way,’ he said.

‘I don’t think anyone would be advocating a cliff-edge scenario. You need certainty in place We need to be very clear about what changes are coming down the road.’

‘PULL FACTOR’

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said the Government should not provide ‘pull factor’ welfare rates.

He said that people are ‘rational actors’ and would stay or move to a location that was more generous with its welfare rates. He said people shouldn’t be able to make ‘financial decisions’ to come here and we should ‘equalise’ it to other European rates.

‘The immediate response was the humanitarian response and that was all well and good, but the Government didn’t think of the outcomes in terms of the number of people coming into the country,’ he added.

He acknowledged that the Government had reversed course on many policy issues, but said it had ‘left some gaps there’.

In addition to the withdrawal of access to the State pension for new arrivals in September last year, the weekly allowance for those who lived in State-provided accommodation was reduced from €232 to €38.80.

The cut in payments meant that as many as 19,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection who arrived during the first two years of the war – and who were not working – received higher payments than those who have arrived since March of 2024, when the first cuts were introduced.

A spokesperson for the ­Department of Social Protection explained: ‘Under the EU ­Temporary Protection Directive, those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine have a right to reside in the State under the habitual residence provisions.

‘From September 9, 2024, ­beneficiaries of temporary ­protection who live in a designated accommodation centre where meals and utilities are provided no longer qualify for certain social assistance payments including the non-contributory State pension.

‘At end March 2025, 5,514 people with a Ukraine nationality were paid the non-contributory State pension.’

She said the cost was €14.2million to the end of February 2025.

The non-contributory State pension is available in Ireland from age 66. There are different rates of payment depending on the person’s contribution record and other circumstances.

Mariya Starukh, of the Association of Ukrainians in Republic of Ireland (AURI), said she had not received any complaints when the payments were cut.

She said: ‘The Irish nation has looked after us very well. I am going very regularly to the Ukrainian church, and I am dealing with them regularly. There are no complaints. They took the cut well, they didn’t complain.’