Athens News - Government Overspends €607 Million on International Protection Accommodation in 2024

The Irish government recorded a €607 million overspend on international protection accommodation in 2024, according to a new report published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday. Total expenditure on international protection and Ukraine accommodation, along with related costs, reached €2.3 billion during that year.

Of the total spending, €1.6 billion was allocated to international protection accommodation. This figure represented an overspend of nearly 150 percent against the €409 million allowance originally provided by the Department of Finance. The PAC report on international protection and temporary protection (Ukraine) expenditure for 2024 stated that evidence indicated the substantial expenditure was driven by the combined impact of large international protection inflows, limited state-owned capacity, and continued reliance on commercial providers.

The responsibility for providing this accommodation shifted from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in May 2025. The department is currently headed by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan. Officials attributed the cost pressures to rapid emergency expansion undertaken between 2022 and 2024, a period during which accommodation requirements rose from 7,000 beds to approximately 33,000.

The report highlighted that the number of new applicants in 2024 was the highest in the state's history, marking an increase compared with figures from 2022 and 2023. In response to the financial discrepancies, the committee recommended that the department establish a detailed plan for expanding state-owned international protection accommodation services (IPAS) within nine months.

Financial analysis within the report found that €978 million of the 2024 total was directed toward commercial centers. The highest-paid single contractor received €45.55 million. The department estimated that the average cost per applicant, including accommodation and related costs such as facilities management, transport, and utilities, was €84 per night in 2024. This figure increased to €97 per night in 2025.

When excluding ancillary costs, commercial providers were paid €71 per applicant per night in 2025, whereas state-owned accommodation averaged €40 per night. The report noted that this cost disparity underpins the medium-term policy objective to expand state-owned accommodation types.

The committee issued 13 recommendations regarding accommodation but acknowledged evidence that the department had already implemented some improvements since 2024. While the primary focus was on the previous year, the report found that €1.22 billion was spent on IPAS center beds in 2025, with an additional capital cost of €150 million, principally for the redevelopment of the Citywest IPAS center. The revised estimate for 2026 provides €1.18 billion in current expenditure and €40 million in capital.

In contrast to the overspend on international protection, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration recorded an underspend of €280 million for Ukraine accommodation in 2024. The total spend of €1.21 billion was less than the €1.49 billion provided. The report attributed this to reduced commercial accommodation costs due to a lower number of beneficiaries of temporary protection arrivals being accommodated and the ongoing consolidation of the Ukraine accommodation portfolio.

Launching the report, PAC chairperson John Brady emphasized that the committee recognized the human impact of accommodation issues. He stated that the committee was focused on delivering effective services and value-for-money rather than commenting on immigration policy. "The committee recognises that the matters addressed in this report relate to individuals and families seeking protection and support, and that the provision of accommodation has a direct and significant impact on people's lives," Brady said.

Brady added that the committee was mindful of the exceptional circumstances necessitating rapid expansion in recent years but clarified that their role was confined to scrutinizing public expenditure, governance, and value-for-money. "In accordance with standing orders, the committee does not assess the merits of Government policy, including immigration or international protection policy," he noted.

The report also explored the issue of applicants remaining in accommodation centers after being granted international protection. The department stated in October 2025 that while 10,000 successful applicants moved out over the preceding 28 months, around 5,000 of the 33,000 IPAS residents remained accommodated despite having been granted status.

Figures provided by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) in March revealed that 559 individuals and 29 families who had previously been accommodated by IPAS presented to DRHE homelessness services in 2024. This number fell to 450 individuals in 2025, representing approximately 25 percent of such presentations that year. The department responded that it does not allow people to exit from IPAS accommodation into homelessness and suggested that individuals may present as homeless for reasons unrelated to their previous residence in IPAS.

On a separate issue, the report found that the department spent €661 million on justice in 2024, an increase of almost 20 percent from the total gross expenditure of €551 million in 2023. Of this amount, €404 million was related to criminal justice, while €257 million covered civil justice expenditure.

O.Alexiou--AN-GR