Cost of direct provision rose to €183m last year

Figures furnished by Roderic O’Gorman in the Dáil show that several hotels received more than €1m over the past year to meet additional accommodation needs as a result of Covid-19. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

The cost of the direct provision system increased to €183m last year, partly due to capacity issues and partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for additional accommodation and quarantine facilities.

The increased spend represents a more than a doubling of costs since 2018, when the bill for the network of accommodation centres for asylum seekers reached €78m, the highest spend since 2010.