Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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478. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of each €1 per week increase in payments to international protection applicants living in direct provision accommodation, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24543/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My department administers the daily expenses allowance (DEA) which is paid to protection applicants who reside in, or are waiting for, accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS).

The Government has provided €20.15 million for the allowance in 2023. The current weekly rates of payment are €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child. At the end of April 2023, there were 12,010 adults and 2,536 children in respect of whom daily expenses allowance was being paid.

Based on these figures, the full year additional cost of increasing the weekly rate of payment for adults and children by €1 would be approximately €760,000.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is leading the implementation of the recommendations contained in the White Paper to End Direct Provision, adopted by the Government in February 2021.

Any increases to the current rate of daily expenses allowance, pending the implementation of the White Paper to End Direct Provision, would have to be approved by Government and considered in an overall budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.