Senior govt official: Most asylum seekers are economic migrants

A senior official in the Department of Justice has reportedly accused most asylum seekers of lying about their situations.

Reports this morning said Sean Aylward, the department's general secretary, had made the claim while telling the Dáil public accounts committee about the cost of the asylum process.

He reportedly said the vast majority of asylum seekers were actually economic migrants who were lying about their situations in a bid to get refugee status.

Mr Aylward said this abuse of Ireland's "generous and liberal" asylum system had cost the State some €1.1bn over the past three years.