There was no space for almost 400 asylum seekers in International Protection Service Accommodation (Ipas) centres on their arrival in the State last month, Department of Justice figures show. Across the entire Ipas system, he said, “many beds are preassigned or out of use on a daily basis for essential reasons”. Since the end of 2024, people living in more than 300 Ipas centres countrywide have remained stable at about 33,000. O’Callaghan said the “unprecedented increase in applications for asylum from 2022 to 2024 placed intense pressure on the accommodation system. He said the system is this year working toward a goal of having 15 per cent of beds available at any given time.

Source: The Irish Times February 08, 2026 20:28 UTC