Nolan blasts delays in IPAS accommodation charge

Independent TD for Offaly, Carol Nolan, has said it is "simply not credible" that it could take up to a year to implement an accommodation contribution charge from employed and self-employed asylum seekers who are currently living in IPAS Centres.

Deputy Nolan was speaking after it was confirmed that ministers will discuss signing off on seeking contributions of between €15 and €238 per week, depending on earnings. She described the delays in implementing the new rules as "totally unacceptable and the definition of kicking the can down the road."

The Independent TD first exposed the lack of any contributions from employed or self-employed international protection applicants in May of 2024 following a parliamentary question to then Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman. She also submitted a number of follow-up questions on the issue in September 2024 and February 2025.

Pointing out that Ireland has had "a clear model" for the calculation of contributions to the relevant accommodation reception costs in place since 2018, Deputy Nolan said what has been missing is "the political will" to issue the kind of urgency that it demands. "This is being made clear yet again with this nonsense of a possible 12-month lead in period before enforcement kicks in" she said this week, adding that "if the government is saying 12 months, then we all know that in reality this could mean anything from 12-24 months given the inertia in the system. With that in mind we could be well be looking at 2027 before the model is up and running."

“I simply do not believe that it needs to take anything like this time period especially as we already have additional existing models of contributions from the likes of HAP tenants to work with; which our own people have to pay from their employment earnings” she said.

Deputy Nolan has called for "urgent clarity" from the relevant ministers on what exactly it is that is likely to cause such a delay. "From where I am standing the perception now is quite clear; the political will to drive this thing forward is half-hearted at best” concluded Deputy Nolan.