It has cost the Eastern Health Board over £28 million to assist asylum-seekers since the beginning of the year.
The money has been spent on providing emergency accommodation, as well as rent supplements for refugees seeking accommodation in the private rented sector.
The figures have been confirmed by the chief executive officer of the board, Mr Pat McLoughlin, who said there were now 2,600 asylum-seekers in emergency accommodation in the Dublin area. There were a further 6,500 in the private rented sector, he said.
He said the cost of providing income maintenance, exceptional needs payments, emergency accommodation, rent supplements and medical screening for the first nine months of this year was £28,472,000.
Responding to a question from the board chairman, Mr Ivor Callely TD, the CEO said more than 5,000 asylum-seekers had arrived in the State since the beginning of 1999.
He said health board staff at the refugee centre in Mount Street tried to place the asylum-seekers in B&B or hostel-type accommodation once the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform had accepted their asylum applications.
"If the asylum-seekers manage to secure accommodation in the private rented sector they are paid a rent deposit by the staff in Mount Street and are then subsequently paid their basic payment and a rent supplement by the local community welfare officer in whose area they reside," Mr McLoughlin explained.