Independent TD Carol Nolan has called on the government to end the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) – which is a tax-free monthly payment available to those providing accommodation Ukrainians living in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive since March 2022.
The Offaly TD said that the scheme – which currently pays €800 per month per person tax-free to accommodation providers, with that amount being reduced to €600 in June – was “radically distorting the private rental market” and that it “embeds a form of preferential treatment that is not available to renters in other categories”.
Last week, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley extended the scheme until March 2026, saying that it “has been a cost-effective measure for the state in diverting thousands of beneficiaries away from State-contracted accommodation”.
However, the scheme has been criticised for incentivising landlords to rent to Ukrainians while putting others renters, including those on lower incomes, at a disadvantage.
“My own view is that instead of extending this scheme which offers tax free payments, we should be ensuring that we are levelling the playing field for those who cannot access the rental market,” Deputy Carol Nolan said.
“We now know from the scheme’s launch in July 2022 to 3 March 2025 that approximately €256m has issued to over 22,600 hosts in respect of hosting almost 51,300 temporary protection beneficiaries.”
“We also know that as of 3 March 2025, there are almost 20,000 active claims in payment in respect of hosting almost 37,000 temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine.”
“I am suggesting that because a peace deal looks increasingly likely for Ukraine, it is time that we start actively encouraging Ukrainian residents here to think about going home. We have a housing emergency here, and we need those rooms for our own rental market.”
“I am also opposed to this scheme because of the clear way in which it is radically distorting the private rental market and the manner in which it embeds a form of preferential treatment that is not available to renters in other categories.”
“I also want to highlight that in terms of contributions to accommodation, it is an absolute disgrace that fully employed or self-employed IPAS applicants are still not being asked to contribute a cent to the costs of their state provided accommodation. I discovered this through a series of PQs last year and it was confirmed to me yet again only recently in follow up questions.”
“Why is this level of double standard being allowed to persist. Those on HAP who work must contribute to their accommodation but those who work in IPAS accommodation do not. It is blatant discrimination, and it must end.”
However, Minister Norma Foley said that she was “keenly aware” from correspondence she had received “of the need for certainty for hosts and for beneficiaries who fear that they will face a cliff edge in terms of supports.”
“This scheme’s extension will give clarity and assurance to those involved,” she added. “I reiterate that failure to extend the scheme presents significant risks. Should the scheme fall, some 37,600 beneficiaries could potentially be displaced into an already pressurised rental market or face a return to State-contracted accommodation.”
“The latter would be a regressive step for families who are integrating in communities and being given a sense of agency. Moreover, it would represent a significant cost to the State and have an adverse impact on the tourism sector,” she said.