Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
793. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer of supports and accommodations for international protection applicants in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38961/26]
View answerProviding reception conditions to people who are applying for international protection is part of EU and Irish law, and people are entitled to accommodation for the duration of their application process.
The State is currently accommodating over 33,000 people seeking international protection in 305 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country.
The allocation for IPAS accommodation and supports for 2025 was €1.27 billion and this has reduced to €1.1 billion for accommodation and supports in 2026. This is the first time in five years that the budget for international protection accommodation and supports is less than the previous year.
From 2022 to the end of 2024, there was a sudden and sustained increase in numbers of people applying for international protection in Ireland. This came during the same period as the arrival of over 120,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The increased arrivals from 2022 onward placed profound pressure on supply of accommodation across this sector.
The new International Protection Bill 2026 gives effect to the measures of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and was passed into law last month. The new rules will take effect on 12 June 2026 and my department continues to prepare in advance of this date. Reforming and speeding up processing of applications should also serve over time to reduce the scale of the demand for international protection accommodation.
The department is working to increase the amount of State-owned international protection accommodation and creating a more stable and sustainable accommodation system. As developing these more sustainable state-owned accommodation system options will take time, the commissioning of emergency commercial accommodation will continue to be a feature in the short to medium term.
The table below outlines the total spend on IPAS accommodation in commercial and State-owned accommodation since 2021. Please note the 2025 figure is provisional pending completion of the 2025 Appropriation Accounts.
Table 1: Total spend on IPAS accommodation in commercial and State-owned accommodation since 2021.
|
2021 |
€190,856,000 |
|
2022 |
€356,554,000 |
|
2023 |
€651,756,000 |
|
2024 |
€1.005 billion |
|
2025 |
€1.2 billion |
The costs outlined above pertain to accommodation for international protection applicants, including transport, facilities management, utilities and other related costs.
This International Protection Act represents the most significant reform of Irish asylum laws in the history of the State. It will put in place a new framework to manage migration and asylum for the long term.
It will improve decision-making structures within the international protection system and provide faster timelines for the processing of international protection applications. The overall objective of the Bill is to provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure.
Faster decision-making means that successful applicants will be granted international protection sooner, and those whose applications are refused can be returned to their country of origin sooner. Reforming and speeding up processing of applications should also serve over time to reduce the scale of the demand for international protection accommodation.
