Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
793. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the amount spent on the accommodation of persons seeking international protection and refugees in each of the past fifteen years and to date in 2026. [14858/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has at all times endeavoured to provide accommodation and other basic supports to people seeking international protection as is required by law.
From 2022 to 2024, over 45,000 people arrived and applied for international protection, almost matching the total number of applications made during the previous 16 years (44,000). This coincided with the invasion of Ukraine, and the arrival of over 120,000 people to Ireland fleeing that conflict.
The sudden and sustained increase in applications during this period necessitated a period of growth in capacity and costs to the State for this service.
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.
As a key milestone, the State has purchased Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre, which has increased State-owned bed numbers from 900 spaces in early 2024 to over 4,000 today.
IPAS is reviewing commercial contracts and driving improvements in standards, governance and compliance. The introduction of a new rate card model is driving down costs for new and renewed contracts, already saving approximately €83 million since May 2025.
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.
Please see, in tabular format, the total spend on IPAS accommodation in commercial and State-owned accommodation since 2010.
Please note the 2025 figure is provisional pending completion of the 2025 Appropriation Accounts.
|
Year |
IP Accommodation Cost |
|
2010 |
€79,000,000* |
|
2011 |
€69,500,000* |
|
2012 |
€62,330,000* |
|
2013 |
€55,228,000* |
|
2014 |
€53,217,000* |
|
2015 |
€57,025,000* |
|
2016 |
€64,137,000* |
|
2017 |
€67,359,000* |
|
2018 |
€77,993,000* |
|
2019 |
€129.408,000 |
|
2020 |
€183,215,000 |
|
2021 |
€190,856,000 |
|
2022 |
€356,554,000 |
|
2023 |
€651,756,000 |
|
2024 |
€1,005,000,000 |
|
2025 |
€1.2 Billion |
* data sourced from previously published Departmental records..
