The number of people making asylum claims in Ireland has fallen slightly this year compared to last year, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
The head of the agency which arranges accommodation for asylum-seekers said there has been a 5 per cent drop in the numbers of asylum claims in the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year.
Mr Noel Waters said the overall number of asylum applications made in EU member-states had increased by about 8 per cent in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year.
Until the end of September this year, 7,569 asylum applications have been lodged in Ireland. This compares to 7,982 for the same period last year.
Mr Waters, the director of the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs that UNHCR figures for the first six months of this year ranked Ireland second behind Austria in the EU in terms of asylum applications received as a percentage of the population.
He said he expected the RIA would spend about £80 million this year.
The agency has arranged accommodation for 14,000 asylum-seekers since April 2000 when the system of "direct provision" of basic facilities including accommodation was introduced, Mr Waters said.
Under the direct provision system, asylum-seekers are automatically placed in full board accommodation with laundry and food provided as well as £15 cash per adult per week.
Before this system was introduced in April 2000, asylum-seekers automatically received standard supplementary welfare allowance payments.
Mr Waters said there are currently more than 5,000 asylum -seekers accommodated by the RIA in 77 centres in 24 counties.
About 7 per cent of asylum -seekers were successful in their claims to be allowed remain in the State as refugees, he said.
Two hundred people were granted refugee status last year, with a further 19 granted humanitarian leave to remain, and 909 granted temporary leave to remain because they were parents of Irish-born children.
He said between 70 and 74 per cent of asylum applicants availed of voluntary health screening - about double the take-up rate of two years ago.