Independent councillor Alan Lawes has told Meath Live he intends to seek clarification as to whether bed and breakfast owners who take in Ukrainian refugees are paid more for doing so than if they house homeless Irish people.

He revealed, ‘I have very reliable anecdotal evidence from numerous people who work with the homeless that this is the case and I am going to ask questions of those in charge about it.

‘I have been told from a very reliable source of one incident, not in Meath, where a B&B owner asked a homeless person to leave and when they asked him why they were told we are taking in Ukrainians and we get more money for doing that.

‘Homeless people will tell you this sort of thing off the record but won’t ever go public with it for fear of upsetting those with the power to house them.

‘I will absolutely chase this up because if it is true it is a complete disgrace,’