"System is Out of Control and Grossly Unfair" Government continues to give handouts to IPAS applicants in employment as Irish taxpayers continue to foot the bill.
Independent Ireland Chairperson TD Ken O’Flynn has accused the Government of presiding over an asylum system that is “out of control, unfair, and adding unsustainable pressure on housing and public services”.
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show more international protection applicants are now in work following changes to permit rules. While Deputy O’Flynn welcomed work and contribution over dependency, he warned that the system itself is now deeply broken and incentivising abuse.
“Over 22,000 applicants remain in the system, many waiting well beyond 18 months for a decision,” O’Flynn said. “Other EU states deliver decisions in 12 weeks and enforce removals where claims are bogus. Here, we drag our heels, fail to enforce deportation orders, and continue to hand out welfare supports even to applicants who are in employment. The hardworking Irish taxpayer, that is already under mounting pressure is footing the bill for this - It makes no sense.”
O’Flynn has tabled fresh Parliamentary Questions demanding clarity on the size of the backlog, the number of deportation orders issued versus those actually enforced, and the continued payment of Daily Expenses Allowance to those in work. He is also pressing the Government to disclose the full cost of these supports to the taxpayer over the past three years.
“Irish people are decent and compassionate,” he said. “But compassion without order, fairness, and firm control of borders is not compassion — it’s an open invitation to abuse. The Government’s policy is adding to the housing crisis by forcing people into State-funded accommodation for months and years on end. It is undermining public trust and damaging genuine refugee protection.”
O’Flynn is reiterating calls for urgent immigration reform as laid out in Independent Ireland's General Election Manifesto: faster decisions within 12 weeks, fast-track deportations for unfounded claims, and an end to automatic welfare supports for those who refuse to cooperate with the process.
“Work is better than welfare, but the Government has built a system that is neither strict nor fair. We are rewarding people for entering a broken process and punishing Irish families already struggling to find homes, schools and hospital beds. Unless the Government wakes up, the public will continue to lose it's faith in the State’s ability to control its own borders.”
