When his department took over the refugee accommodation payments system in the summer of 2025, the justice minister Jim O’Callaghan was clear – he wanted to tighten up the ship. Record payments for Ukrainian refugee and international protection accommodation – which hit a high of €1.8 billion in 2024 – were making the news on a regular basis, including concerns over due diligence. This was borne out by a recent Comptroller & Auditor General audit released soon after O’Callaghan’s department took over running the system from the Department of Equality in May 2025.  The report identified substantial gaps in due…

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