Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
423. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the full extent of non-compliant procurement in international protection accommodation from 1 January 2022 to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15778/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that my Department ensures that there is ongoing focus on good procurement practice in the award of all contracts and that procedures are in place to ensure compliance with all relevant guidelines.
Given the unprecedented increase of applicants for international protection in 2022-2024 of approximately 400%, there was a requirement to procure accommodation for applicants at an accelerated rate.
As a result, during these years, there was a need for the State to act at pace to meet urgent need for accommodation, and a small proportion of the overall spend in these years related to non-compliant procurement. Competitive but non-compliant procurement processes and these were followed where possible within the extremely constrained and pressured circumstances presenting.
All expenditure on international protection accommodation is subject to review by the Comptroller and Auditor General. During 2024 and 2025, the Department worked closely with the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) in carrying out an extensive review of costs and processes within the international protection accommodation system. All recommendations in the report have been accepted and implemented by the Department, with implementation of one recommendation being further developed in the current year.
The total non-compliant spend for years 2022-2024, as published in the relevant Appropriation Accounts for each year, is outlined below.
|
Year |
Value (€) |
|
2023 |
84,813,854 |
|
2024 |
52,806,989 |
|
Total |
137,620,843 |
The non-compliant procurement report for 2025 is in progress and not currently available, and information for 2026 is not yet available.
International protection applications reduced in 2025 after several years of growth, allowing greater controls to be put in place across the IPAS accommodation portfolio along with improved processes for appraisal, validation, contracting, and payments. This is evidenced by the non-compliant spend reducing by more than 50% from 2022 to 2024.
The introduction of a new rate card model is driving costs down for new and renewed contracts, and I am pleased to note this has already saved approximately €83 million in 2025. This reform within the accommodation system has laid the basis for continued process improvement and costs savings in 2026.
