Cavan and Monaghan housing more than 750 IPAS applicants

A total of 751 international protection applicants are currently accommodated in Cavan and Monaghan, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.

The figures, correct as of last month, show that Cavan has three international protection accommodation centres housing 138 residents; while Monaghan has five centres accommodating 613 people.

Monaghan accounts for 1.94% of the national international protection accommodation population, and more than 81% of the combined occupancy across the two counties.

By comparison Donegal has the largest number of accommodation centres, with 28 housing 2,046 people.

Neighbouring Meath has nine centres housing 1,072 people, Westmeath has 10 centres accommodating 1,149 people, while Longford has two centres with 133 residents and Leitrim has two centres housing 201 people.

Nationally, there are 294 international protection accommodation centres operating across every county, providing accommodation for 31,646 people.

The Department says the rapid expansion of accommodation between 2022 and 2024 followed the arrival of more than 45,000 international protection applicants, alongside the need to provide up to 60,000 beds for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The Government says it is now pursuing reforms aimed at improving value for money, strengthening oversight and moving away from commercial accommodation towards greater State ownership.

The Department has also said faster processing under the EU Migration Pact should reduce the length of time applicants spend in accommodation, helping to bring down the overall cost of the system.