Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 September 2023
483. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the analysis of the breakdown of the overspend by the Department contained in the fiscal monitor report of August 2023, conducted by the Parliamentary Budget Office (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41263/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, my Department has faced significant challenges in 2023 particularly in the areas of international protection and the humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis.
My officials have been working closely with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and reporting to Government throughout the year in relation to the monitoring of expenditure as the situation, particularly in relation to Ukraine, is ever evolving and as the level of expenditure required in 2023 becomes more evident.
The overall Vote outturn to the end of August showed gross expenditure of circa €4.63 billion. This represented over profile expenditure of €704 million. The areas of International Protection Accommodation Services and Ukraine account for €675 million of this.
In recent years, there have been record increases in the number of new arrivals seeking international protection in Ireland with 23,194 International protection applicants being accommodated at the end of August.
In relation to the humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis, an additional 22,033 temporary protections orders had been granted in 2023, bringing the total number of temporary protection orders granted since the start of the war to 92,554. Over 70,000 Ukrainians are now being accommodated in state funded/supported accommodation.
Officials, along with Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform colleagues, will continue to monitor expenditure over the Vote through the rest of this year.
