There has been a sharp rise in the number of judicial reviews taken against the state by asylum seekers, many of them fighting decisions that could lead to deportation.
The number of cases has tripled in the space of three years while legal costs, mostly paid to the legal teams of international protection applicants, have multiplied by a factor of six.
Figures from the Department of Justice show there were 175 judicial reviews taken last year in asylum cases.
That was up from just 57 in 2023 and 82 in 2024 as the department has ramped up decision making and deportation operations.
Costs involved have also climbed with the department spending €2.4 million on judicial review cases last year.
That rose from just €388,760 in 2023 and €1.8 million in 2024 but provides only a partial picture of spending on asylum law.
The Department of Justice said 95 percent of these costs were paid by the State Claims Agency to the legal representatives of applicants who were successful.
The department’s own legal costs are paid directly by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and were not included in the data, which was released under FOI.
An information note said: “There has been an increase in legal costs for a range of reasons including a higher number of [international protection] applications and decisions, complexity of decision making, volume of litigation, compliance with court judgments and increased settlement costs.”
A total of 275 cases involving international protection have been decided during the past three years.