5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
State pays over €1.9 million to cover costs at Wicklow IPAS centre
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth which handles international protection accommodation service (IPAS) centres, has released figures detailing the amount of money the state has paid out so far this year to run these facilities in County Wicklow.
The data for Q1 2025 shows Vesta Hotels Limited received the biggest allocation in February with two payments of €680,680, and a third worth €607,750 to provide accommodation for international protection applicants.
A Hiqa report carried out at the south Wicklow facility in 2024 recorded capacity of 111 people.
At the time of inspection, it was accommodating 104 residents, and nine of these were children.
Meanwhile Arturo Ventures Unlimited received a payment of over €320,000 in January to provide accommodation for Ukrainians in west Wicklow.
However, with a reduction in demand for accommodation for Ukrainians, elected members of the Baltinglass Municipal District have been told the operator of the Avon Hotel in Blessington has instead been offered to provide accommodation for international protection applicants.
At their meeting in May councillors were informed this would be offered under a lease agreement of up to two years which is currently being examined by the Department.
The 95 Ukrainian residents currently being accommodated at The Avon are all due to be relocated by August 8.
The proposal to turn the hotel into an IPAS centre has sparked opposition from residents in recent weeks, with protests taking place in the town.
They claim department officials have failed to consult them about their plans and fear the move could have a negative impact on local services.
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The figures also show Powertique Limited received two separate payments from the state in January totalling more than €1 million to house Ukrainians at the Royal Hotel in Bray.
Meanwhile Woodstone Property Ak Limited which oversees operations at the Wilton Hotel in Bray received over €203,000 in January to accommodate Ukrainians seeking international protection.
A breakdown of the figures also shows E and B Hotel Limited which owns Rathmore Country House in Ashford was allocated over €65,000 in January for the associated costs in providing accommodation.
As of May 2025, there are currently 1,395 international protection applicants residing in County Wicklow.
This figure far exceeds that of its neighbouring counties, including Wexford (605), Carlow (436) and Kildare (564) but naturally the numbers in Dublin are much higher. There are currently 3,403 applicants for international protection based in centres in Dublin city, with 1,190 in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.
