IRELAND spent over €1 billion for the first time last year to help those seeking asylum.
The figures from the Republic’s Minister for Children, Norma Foley, show the spend of €1.005bn by the end of last year increased from €651.75m (over £542,000) in 2023.
RTÉ report that since 2019, the state has spent spent €2.5bn (over £2bn) in accommodating ‘International Protection’ applicants.
In a written answer, Minister Foley said the spend included all accommodation and associated costs.
“The average cost per night fluctuates due to a wide range of factors, including the number of residents and the nature of the type of accommodation centres developed and contracted with,” she said.
The latest figures from the Republic’s International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) showed that Nigerians had the highest numbers in IPAS accommodation at 6,914, followed by Georgia at 3,072, Algeria with 2,733, Somalia at 2,388, Zimbabwe at 2,209, Jordan at 2,157, Afghanistan with 1,715, Pakistan at 1,656, Bangladesh at 1,373 and South Africa with 1,249.
A total of 694 are also from Palestine.
Minister Foley said the ballooning costs reflected a sharp rise in IP applicants from 2022 onwards – with just over 7,000 people accommodated at the end of 2021 and nearly 33,000 today.
She added that this included around 9,000 children with their families.
Stating that providing basic support was part of Irish and EU law, it was also Ireland’s “humanitarian duty to provide shelter to people fleeing war and persecution in their home country”.
With more than 90% of IPAS accommodation provided commercially, she said a small proportion were catered for on state-owned sites, but the development of a “sustainable accommodation system” in future years would reduce the reliance on commercial providers.
