Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
622. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide a breakdown of expenditure by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) in South Dublin for each of the past five years, including expenditure relating to accommodation centres located at locations (details supplied); and to indicate the costs associated with each location. [32184/26]
View answer623. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of IPAS accommodation centres that are currently operating in South Dublin, and to list the location of each centre. [32185/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 622 and 623 together.
Ireland provides accommodation and other basic supports to people seeking international protection, as is required by law. The State is currently accommodating over 33,000 people in over 300 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country.
There are currently 15 IPAS accommodation centres in the South Dublin County Council area. The Department does not publish details of the locations of IPAS accommodation centres, in the interest of the privacy and security of residents, staff and providers.
The accommodation system is managed on a national level, as is reporting on all aspects of the process. Accommodation providers and details of payments are recorded, but not by county council or area. As such, the breakdown of data requested with respect to the total amount spent on accommodation for those seeking international protection in South Dublin County Council in the past five years is not collated or readily available.
However, in the interests of transparency, the publishes details of payments to accommodation providers over €20,000 at quarterly intervals online at gov.ie here: Purchase Orders for €20,000 or above.
Please see, in tabular format, the total spend on IPAS accommodation in commercial and State-owned accommodation for the last 5 years. Please note the 2025 figure is provisional pending completion of the 2025 Appropriation Accounts.
|
Year |
IP Accommodation Cost |
|
2021 |
€190.8m |
|
2022 |
€356.5m |
|
2023 |
€651.7m |
|
2024 |
€1.05 billion |
|
2025 |
€1.2 Billion |
In terms of international protection applicants, significant reform is underway to speed up the processing system, achieve improved value for money for the State and reduce the demand for accommodation. That includes moving away consistently, over time, from the degree of reliance on commercial accommodation and putting in place more facilities on State-owned sites.
IPAS is reviewing commercial contracts and driving improvements in standards, governance and compliance. The introduction of a new rate card model in May 2025 is driving costs down for new and renewed contracts.
The allocation for IPAS accommodation and supports for 2025 was €1.2 billion and this has reduced to an allocation of over €1.1 billion for accommodation and supports in 2026.
