4,500 empty asylum seeker beds can't be offered to 500 male applicants sleeping rough, PAC told

The department’s head of international protection, David Delaney, said that even if all 534 applicants sleeping homeless at present applied for a bed, the department wouldn’t be able to oblige. Stock Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

There are roughly 4,500 empty beds free for either Ukrainian nationals or asylum seekers at present, but they cannot be offered to more than 500 male applicants sleeping on the streets, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard that there are about 53,000 beds available in the system at the moment.