Independent TD Carol Nolan has called for greater transparency and a fact-based discussion on migration, public spending and the long-term sustainability of public services following the release of new Government figures showing that 347,736 social welfare recipients were recorded as non-Irish nationals at the end of 2025.

The figures, supplied by the Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, in response to a parliamentary question from Deputy Nolan, show that of the 1.97 million people receiving at least one social protection payment, 347,736 were recorded as holding a non-Irish nationality: