Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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432.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of a €1 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. [24627/24]

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 current weekly rates of payment are €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child. An increased rate of €113.80 per week for an adult applies where a person is unaccommodated and is on a waiting list for IPAS accommodation. An income assessment is being introduced for the Daily Expenses Allowance with effect from June 2024, for persons 18 years or over.

At the end of April 2024, there were 19,181 adults and 4,933 children in respect of whom daily expenses allowance was being paid. This includes payments to unaccommodated adults on a waiting list for IPAS accommodation.

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 €1.25m. The application of the income assessment may result in the cessation of a number of adults currently in receipt of the Daily Expenses Allowance and impact the numbers used for this estimate.

Policy pertaining to supports for International Protection applicants’ rests with Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Any increases to the current rate of Daily Expenses Allowance, would have to be approved by Government and considered in an overall budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.