Number of homeless foreign nationals repatriated doubled last year

The number of destitute European nationals flown home from Ireland under an EU scheme increased by 52% last year.

The figure is included in the new annual report by the Reception and Integration Agency which oversees the asylum seeker Direct Provision system. RIA also has a role in assisting with the voluntary repatriation of destitute citizens of the 13 states which have joined the EU since 2004.

Figures show that while 213 people availed of the scheme in 2012, last year the number rose by 110 to 323 — a 52% increase.