The Government has made overpayments totalling millions of euro to providers of International Protection accommodation.
A report from the State's spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), found that the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) became aware in December 2023 that it had been incorrectly charged VAT totalling €7.4 million by a provider of multiple properties under three VAT registration numbers.
Subsequent invoices included VAT refunds totalling €1.5 million for amounts previously overcharged and the Department of Justice has stated that recovery of the balance of the overcharges remains under review.
"IPAS did not routinely check that invoiced amounts included the correct VAT," the report notes.
As of March 2025, other overpayments of approximately €1.3 million had been identified by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. All these overpayments have since been recouped.
Separately, by late August 2025, the IPAS has identified further overpayments, totalling around €5.1 million from contract non-compliances in around ten cases.
"Recoupment plans have been agreed in most cases, while two cases are pending agreement," the C&AG said.
The report recommends that IPAS should introduce additional control checks.
In its response to the findings, the Department of Justice said additional control measures were introduced following the implementation of the BedSpace bed management system in February 2025.
