There are too many people seeking International Protection in Ireland who are not entitled to it, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has said.
He said there were 14,000 applications processed last year, with more than 65 per cent of these rejected in the first instance.
He said some 18,500 people came to Ireland last year seeking asylum and the forecasts suggest some 15,000 could do likewise this year.
“This year already, in January, over 80 per cent of applications were rejected at first instance,” he told RTÉ radio’s This Week programme on Sunday.
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“I have to be honest with people and say there are too many people seeking International Protection who are not entitled to it, and the people who are really suffering from that are the people who are legitimately entitled to claim it, who may not be provided with accommodation because of the numbers that are coming in.”
The Fianna Fáil politician said he was not going to “shy away from stating” the facts of the matter.
He said there needed to be a procedure which recognises if a person comes to Ireland and is granted International Protection “you stay, you’re welcome” but if they are refused “you leave, you’re gone”.
Mr O’Callaghan said the Government was not going to “sit down and say our function is to just create as many accommodation spaces as possible”.
He said there were plans to buy a “series of centres” around the country to house International Protection applicants, but he would not disclose how many would be purchased.
The then minister for integration, Roderic O’Gorman, said early last year that more than six integration and reception centres would be established.
Figures released last week by Minister for Integration Norma Foley show the State spent more than €1 billion accommodating International Protection applicants last year. This was a 54 per cent increase on the €651.75 million cost in 2023.
“It is much cheaper if the State owns accommodation centres instead of giving vast amounts of money to people who own them, that were premises not designed for that purpose,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
Mr O’Callaghan also said a decision would have to be made before the end of this month in relation to the Ukrainian Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) which is due to expire over the coming weeks. He said there would be “changes” made in respect of it.
The ARP is a tax-free monthly payment of €800 for those providing accommodation to Ukrainians who arrive in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive.
Ms Foley said last week that €239 million has been paid out by the State to 22,399 accommodation providers for accommodating 49,840 Ukrainian under the directive since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
