Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has signed an order that will see asylum seekers and their families offered up to €10,000 to drop their claim for International Protection.

The increased voluntary return grant will apply to those who sought asylum in Ireland before 28 September and who are awaiting a decision on their status.

Under the voluntary return programme, asylum seekers can receive financial support to return to their home country if they do not have permission to remain in Ireland.

The Department of Justice has said that an increased “reintegration allowance” for people earlier in the asylum seeking process has been introduced in order to reduce pressure on the system.

The department says that as of 19 September last, 1,159 people left Ireland by way of voluntary return so far this year, an increase of 129% compared to the same period in 2024.

In terms of the current grant allowance under the voluntary return programme, up to €1,200 is offered per person and €2,000 for a family.

Under the increased rates, this would rise to €2,500 per person and a maximum of €10,000 for a family.

It is available to people in the asylum system before 28 September and who are awaiting a decision on their status.

Voluntary return is open to people who have no legal status in Ireland, who have withdrawn their application for international protection or who have had it refused.

It is not offered to people who have been convicted of a serious crime.

Speaking to reporters in Carlow, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: “We know that deportations do play an important role in relation to having a fair and efficient migration system in place.

“But it is also costly, it also takes a lot of time to actually make them happen and I understand what Minister O’Callaghan is doing is looking at other ways in which we could ensure that those who will be leaving Ireland at some point in the future do so in a more timely and more efficient way.”

Israeli media is reporting that Hamas has agreed in principle to the US peace plan which was presented to Israel and Arab countries this week.

The plan would allow Palestinians to remain in Gaza and reform the Palestinian Authority in a departure from previous US deals. The reports come after another bloody night in Gaza.

Fresh overnight strikes have killed dozens, according to medics in Gaza, but there is renewed hope today as Israeli media is reporting Hamas has agreed in principle to the Trump administration’s latest peace plan.

Leaked details suggest it is a significant departure from previous US deals.

Reports say that Palestinians would be allowed to remain in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority would be reformed.

During that process, Gaza would be run by local technocrats overseen by a new international body and Hamas would be completely disarmed.

Read more:
Latest Middle East stories
West Bank: Tales of the dispossessed
‘Unacceptable’ to ignore human crisis in Gaza – Obama

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

Unidentified drones flew over Danish military sites including its biggest base during the night, the latest in a slew of sightings officials have called a “hybrid attack” and hinted at possible Russian involvement.

Drones were spotted at “several military sites”, a Danish military spokesman told AFP, refusing to provide other details.

Police said “one to two drones” were observed yesterday at around 8.15pm local time near and over the Karup military base, the country’s biggest base which houses all of the armed forces’ helicopters, airspace surveillance, flight school and support functions.

Karup is also home to parts of the defence command, according to the military’s website.

Police spokesman Simon Skelkjaer said police could not comment on where the drones came from, adding: “We didn’t take them down.”

Police were cooperating with the military in their investigation, he said.

The Karup base shares its runways with the Midtjylland civilian airport, which was briefly closed though no flights were affected as none were scheduled at that hour, Mr Skelkjaer said.

Mysterious drone observations across the Scandinavian country since Monday have prompted the closure of several airports.

Drone reports also closed Oslo airport for several hours earlier in the week, following drone incursions in Polish and Romanian territory and the violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets, which raised tensions in light of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday that “over recent days, Denmark has been the victim of hybrid attacks,” referring to unconventional warfare.

Investigators have so far failed to identify those responsible, but Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the flights appeared to be “the work of a professional actor”.

Ms Frederiksen has pointed the finger at Russia.

“There is one main country that poses a threat to Europe’s security, and it is Russia.”

Moscow said it “firmly rejects” any suggestion that it was involved in the Danish incidents. Its embassy in Copenhagen called them “a staged provocation”, in a post on social media.

Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said earlier this week the aim of the attacks was “to spread fear, create division and frighten us”.

The drone flights began just days after Denmark announced it would acquire long-range precision weapons for the first time, as Russia would pose a threat “for years to come”.

Hummelgaard said Copenhagen would also acquire new enhanced capabilities to detect and neutralise drones.

Defence ministers from around ten EU countries agreed yesterday to make a so-called “drone wall” a priority for the bloc.

EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said Europe needs to learn from Ukraine and swiftly build anti-drone defences.

“We need to move fast,” Mr Kubilius told AFP in an interview. “And we need to move, taking all the lessons from Ukraine and making this drone wall together with Ukraine.”

Copenhagen will host an EU summit gathering heads of government on Wednesday and Thursday.

It said yesterday it had accepted Sweden’s offer of its anti-drone technology to ensure the meeting could go ahead without disruption.