Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Heorhiy Tuka has said he expects the Verkhovna Rada to increase in the draft state budget for 2019 the financing of the program for the construction or purchase of housing for IDPs to UAH 100-150 million.

"I hope that in 2019 there will be an opportunity to increase funding for the housing program. Since the program's territory covers the whole country, and the funding has remained at the level of this year in the amount of UAH 36 million. For the whole of Ukraine, this is just a drop in the ocean ... I hope that parliament deputies when they consider the draft budget will do everything possible to find additional sources of funding for this program," Tuka said at a press conference at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Monday.

Tuka stressed that, according to his forecasts, UAH 100-150 million is needed for the first year of nation-wide program.

The deputy minister noted that the program is to co-finance 50/50 from the state and local budgets for the construction or purchase of housing for IDPs.

Tuka also complained about the low activity of participation in this program by local authorities and how they are addressing housing for displaced people in general.

Among other things, he noted that the current system of IDP registration does not make it possible to determine the number of IDPs currently in need of housing.