State to pay €1.5m to EU for failure to accommodate 350 asylum seekers 

The Irish Examiner also understands a tender is being prepared for “floating accommodation” at Dublin and Cork Port

It is also understood that ministers will be informed that 5,000 student accommodation beds will be made available to Minister Roderic O'Gorman's department to house refugees in the coming weeks. Picture: Maxwells

The Government is to offer to pay €1.5m to the EU because it cannot provide accommodation to an additional 350 asylum seekers, a memo going to Cabinet will outline today.

The joint memo from Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman will seek approval from Ministers to provide the financial contribution as it cannot meet the State’s commitments under an EU Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism (VSM).