Government spent almost €1.5 billion on accommodation for Ukrainian refugees last year

The Government spent almost €1.5 billion on the provision of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees in 2023 and has budgeted for the same figure for this year, new figures from the Department of Integration show.

Officials are appearing before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee on Thursday morning, and told members that the outbreak of war in Ukraine had resulted in “significant challenges” for the department.

More than 106,000 people from the Eastern European country have sought temporary protection in Ireland since February 2022, with 70 per cent of these seeking state-supported accommodation.

“This was the largest mobilisation of humanitarian support in the history of the state and required a large-scale emergency response… to meet the daily demand for shelter that materialised,” Secretary General Kevin McCarthy told PAC.

"Arrivals have come down considerably since the start of this year," Mr McCarthy told the meeting. 

He said the next phase for them is to consolidate and reduce their portfolios, in terms of accommodation. 

The department spent €515 million on accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in 2022, followed by €1.49 billion last year, figures provided to the committee show.

An additional €118 million has been paid to approximately 11,900 people who hosted 23,500 BOTPs in return for the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) of €800 per person, per month.

The total allocation for this year is €1.49 billion, including €61 million for the Office of Public Works (OPW) rapid build programme, the Irish Mirror has reported. 

There is a net reduction of approximately 175 Ukrainians living in State-provided accommodation every week, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union triggered a temporary protection directive to offer assistance for those fleeing the war.

It places obligations on EU countries to give certain rights to the beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) including residence permits and access to suitable accommodation.

Ireland has granted more than 105,000 temporary protection orders since the war, and almost 72,000 BOTPs are in State-provided accommodation.

However, the average number of BOTPs leaving State accommodation now exceeds the number of temporary protection orders being granted to new arrivals.

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Harris said the latest data shows there are “roughly 175 fewer Ukrainian people in State accommodation each week”.