The Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee Chair has vowed to investigate whether Government spending on asylum seeker accommodation represents “value for money”.
Last year, the Government spent just over €1 billion on housing international protection applicants - up from close to €652 million in 2023.
On Newstalk Breakfast, PAC Chair and Sinn Féin TD John Brady described this surge in spending as a “key area” the committee hopes to explore.
“We know due to a number of failures at national level in terms of Government policy around the provision of accommodation of asylum seekers where we don’t have an efficient and we don’t have an enforced system, that’s put huge pressures in terms of the delivery of accommodation,” he said.
“Which has seen it being outsourced to the private sector [with] hotels; in many small towns and villages across the State, in many cases, the only hotels are being taken up.
“We know the figure for the provision of that accommodation accommodating some 33,000 asylum seekers last year exceeded €1 billion for the first time ever.”
'Lucrative contracts are awarded worth millions of euro'
Deputy Brady added that the costs are due to increase to €1.2 billion this year and that in many cases the accommodation is “substandard”.
“There’s questions in terms of the contracts that are being given over,” he said.
“In many cases, companies are being set up weeks before major, lucrative contracts are awarded worth millions of euro.
“So look, we need to ensure there is value for money and there is fiscal oversight, something I don’t think is happening at this point.”
Deputy Brady acknowledged there are pressures on the system but said the State needs to make sure the system is “robust”.
“That’s something as the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee I intend to provide because I don’t think anybody thinks that the spending of €1 billion without having that oversight, irrespective as to what pressures there are on the State,” he said.
“We need to ensure there’s value for money.”
Last year, 18,651 people arrived in Ireland and lodged applications for international protection.
Main image: Mosney Direct Provision centre in Meath. Picture by: Niall Carson/PA Wire
