There has been an increase in the number of young adults from Ukraine seeking temporary protection in Ireland.
It follows a decision by the Ukrainian government two months ago to allow males aged 18 to 22 to leave the country.
A significant proportion of those who have sought temporary protection here are young men and women in this age category.
This week Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan asked Government to note the recent increase.
According to the Department of Justice, 1,794 people were granted temporary protection in September, which is an increase of 226% compared to September last year (794).
New arrivals are currently allowed to stay in certain designated accommodation centres for a maximum of 90 days, after which they must make their own arrangements.
Not all choose to avail of this and make their own arrangements instead.
While the overall requirement for Ukrainian accommodation has continued to fall over the past year, this increase has recently led the State to increase the provision of accommodation in designated accommodation centres, according to the department.
Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Niall Collins has said that there has been a spike in young Ukrainians arriving here last month but it remains to be seen whether it they are coming to see relative or it is a new wave of people leaving Ukraine or it is temporary due to the lifting of the travel ban by Ukraine.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Colm Ó Mongáin, he said that there is a cohort of Ukrainian people in the State provided with accommodation, while there is a similar cohort in private accommodation supported by the State but numbers are falling.
Speaking on the same programme, Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin said that there needs to be a concerted peace effort in Ukraine, adding that it is what young Ukrainians want, and the EU needs to change its approach and stop “war mongering”.
Labour TD for Dublin South West Ciarán Ahern said that asylum seekers coming to Ireland is a fact of life and the latest development speaks to the need to end the war in Ukraine.