The implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact will increase the cost of processing and accommodating international protection applicants, with additional staff alone set to cost around €32 million a year, according to a department brief.
The Department of Justice document estimates that the plan to pivot towards state-owned accommodation for asylum seekers is likely to cost €875 million for the provision of 14,000 beds.
The annual running cost of this state-owned infrastructure is expected to reach €725 million, while new digital systems for processing applications will require “multi-annual and multi-million-euro” investment.
The brief provided cost estimates for four scenarios based on future volumes of international protection applications: a lower-end caseload of 10,000 applications, 15,000, 18,000, and a “surge scenario” of 24,000 applications.
It notes, however, that the pact is expected to reduce the volume of applications by reducing secondary movement within the European Union, and by significantly reducing processing times.
The document reveals that the cost in relation to international protection processing will increase in the short term, as two “parallel” legislative systems will need to operate simultaneously for “some time”.
However, cost savings are expected in the long term as processing times are accelerated, thereby reducing accommodation costs.
It outlines a scenario in which an international protection applicant spends 29 months in the system under the current regime, costing a total of €122,867. In future, it expects this will be reduced to €49,692 per applicant as they will spend only nine months in the system.
“In 2024, just over €1 billion was spent on accommodating [international protection] applicants. Over 90% of accommodation is commercially provided,” the document reads.
“The current focus is on developing state-owned accommodation from a range of sources, building a sustainable system and reducing reliance on commercial providers.
“The aim is to gain greater control over dispersal patterns and enhanced engagement with local communities and planning authorities.”
Ireland’s National Implementation Plan for the EU Migration and Asylum Pact was approved by the Cabinet yesterday. It sets out how the state intends to meet the requirements of the pact, which comes into effect in June 2026.
Significant changes to asylum law, policy and procedures will be required in advance of that date, including the repeal and placement of the International Protection Act 2015.
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