Full coverage: Department of Justice

Internal files reveal the board repeatedly warned the justice department last year that, without urgent, ring-fenced funding and expert support, it faced an uphill struggle to cope with new roles in supporting victims of serious sexual offences and refugees seeking protection in Ireland.

As the State starts to settle multi-million-euro claims from private providers over cancelled accommodation contracts, officials are staying tight-lipped on the potential taxpayer bill. Just how high could it rise?

From billionaire trusts to ownership dead-ends, The Currency examined the corporate structures of private providers with offshore links.

The Currency examined 32,000 payments worth €6.3bn paid to more than 800 recipients since 2020 to piece together the key groups active in the private refugee accommodation sector.

Vista Bay Unlimited received its first payments for the recently opened 622-bed centre at Merrion House in Dublin 4. New State data shows overall payments for emergency accommodation hit €1.6bn last year.

Internal records show senior management concerns that funding and staffing shortfalls will see it struggle to support judicial appointments urgently needed to address chronic shortages in the legal system.

With payments to McEnaney companies since 2020 just short of €340 million for homeless and refugee emergency accommodation, group filings reveal growing profits and distributions across 26 family firms.

The Department of Justice axed plans for an Ipas centre housing 41 asylum seekers on the Stillorgan Road due to its size, location, and the current level of need in the sector. The owner of the property claims it has suffered significant loss.

The department dropped plans for the temporary accommodation centre last April, taking the owner by complete "surprise", the court was told. Protests at the site had been making building works difficult, according to correspondence.

Concerns with State oversight of contracts with private providers were also raised by the C&AG this month, issues which will need to be ironed out as the Government puts another €1.8bn aside for 2026.