Paul Lawless
Ceist:707. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the amount paid out for IPAS accommodation in each of the past 15 years, in tabular form. [45763/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 16 June 2026
Ceisteanna (707)
Freagraí scríofa
Providing 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 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 2010.
|
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.
The costs outlined above pertain to accommodation for international protection applicants, including transport, facilities management, utilities and other related costs.
The new International Protection Act 2026 gives effect to the measures of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and was passed into law last month. The new rules came into effect on 12 June. 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.