Almost one-in-three Irish hotel rooms are now being used to accommodate refugees and asylum seekers, according to new figures released to Newstalk.

Last year, some 13,319 asylum seekers arrived in Ireland.

More than 2,500 people have arrived seeking international protection so far this year.

Meanwhile, by mid-February 75,000 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in Ireland since the beginning of the war, according to the most up-to-date figures from the Department of Justice.

At the moment, 53,045 Ukrainian refugees are being accommodated in hotels across the country.

Meanwhile, the International Protection Accommodation Service is housing 20,034 asylum seekers.

At the same time, around 85 Ukrainians and 29 International Protection applicants are arriving in Ireland every day.

Main image shows asylum seekers queueing outside the Refugee Application Centre on Mount Street in Dublin, 30-01-2023. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Currently, 22,229 tourism accommodation rooms across the country are being used to house asylum seekers and refugees.

There are 82,591 tourist accommodation rooms in Ireland according to the Irish Tourism Confederation.

It means almost one-third of the country’s overall hotel stock is being used for asylum seekers and refugees.

The figures do not include homeless people who are also being housed in hotels.

County breakdown of hotel rooms housing refugees and asylum seekers.

In some counties, well over half of the hotel stock is being used to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees.

In Leitrim for example, 82% of hotel beds in the county have been contracted to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees.

In Longford, it is 65%, while in Donegal, the figure is just over 50%.

In Dublin, just over 14% of the hotel stock is being used to accommodate refugees and asylum seekers.

Below is a county-by-county breakdown:

County breakdown of hotel rooms housing refugees and asylum seekers.

Meanwhile the Department of Integration has said it is facing ‘ongoing and severe’ difficulties finding accommodation for asylum seekers.

It said intensive efforts are being undertaken daily by department staff to source emergency accommodation – but finding enough beds to keep pace with incoming arrivals remains extremely challenging.

Officials are warning that the situation is leading to very significant shortages.