Timetable to end direct provision is unrealistic, DPER officials warn

Concerns have been expressed by senior civil servants in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that the new system will be restricted by constraints in the housing market

Roderic O’Gorman, the Minister for Children, could find himself under pressure over the timetable and costings of the plan to end direct provision. Picture: Fergal Phillips

The timetable to end the existing direct provision system by 2024 is unrealistic and costings attached to the project are “too low”, according to a new series of warnings raised by senior civil servants.

Details of the concerns within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) are likely to put pressure on Roderic O’Gorman, the Minister for Children, whose department is overseeing the implementation of the new plan to ultimately house asylum seekers in ...