Cabinet is meeting on Tuesday where there will be a detailed plan outlined by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien on housing thousands of refugees in Ireland.
The Dáil is back on Tuesday after the Easter break and Opposition TDs will take to the plinth at Leinster House to have their say on the Government’s handling of the humanitarian crisis as well as other issues such as housing, healthcare and the cost of living.
At Cabinet, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath is expected to tell Government Ministers that the projected cost of helping Ukrainians next year is €3 billion.
READ MORE: Taoiseach asks Ministers to see how people could be paid to host Ukrainian refugees
It was first thought it would be around €2.5 billion.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet, Minister McGrath said the State is now in a position where it can no longer rely on emergency accommodation.
He said: “That system is now under real pressure and that is why we've had to use facilities such as Millstreet, and I think it's likely we’ll see more examples like that depending on the number of refugees that continue to come to Ireland but we will do the very best that we can.
“The system is now under real strain and we are at a point where we are offering accommodation that is not of a standard we would like.”
The Cabinet is also expected to sign off on its legislative plans for the next Oireachtas term on Tuesday morning.
This includes the Gambling Regulation Bill which aims to establish a regulator for the industry and modernise the licensing of gambling activities.
The legislative plans will also include plans to reform the role of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board and a Bill which provides for maternity leave for politicians.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will also bring a memo to Cabinet which will scrap some hospital charges for children aged under 16.
Charges for overnight stays, as well as those for day cases, will be scrapped but the Emergency Department charge will remain in place.
Currently, an in-patient overnight or day case charge is €80 but it is capped at a maximum of €800 per year.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet on Tuesday, Minister Donnelly said any hospital he said is a “huge financial burden” for parents who are already dealing with a sick child.
He said the Government is moving towards “universal healthcare and what that means is making healthcare more and more affordable.”
He said: “For me it’s an important step, what it’ll be saying is, our public hospitals are free for children.”
