Asylum applications surge by 75% in first three months of year 

Simon Harris said he received a briefing from Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman which said that every day 15 people from Ukraine, on average, are seeking state accommodation, but 45 people from Ukraine are leaving. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Applications for international protection surged in the first three months of the year, with more than 5,100 people seeking assistance – 75% more than the 2,900 who applied over the same period in 2023.

By contrast, just 3,500 people made asylum applications on average between 2017 and 2019, the Public Accounts Committee will hear on Thursday.