Asylum seekers with jobs in Ireland could be charged up to €238 (£200) a week for state accommodation and have to pay for food and services like WiFi.

The Irish government is considering the plans in the latest moves to toughen its asylum rules, amid concerns its offer to migrants is more generous than other European countries.

EU rules allow member states to seek contributions ranging from €15 a week to €238 a week from working asylum seekers, depending on their earnings.

Officials have told the Irish government that France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Hungary have similar schemes and that it could take up to two years to implement, the Irish Independent reported.

There have been a string of anti-migrant arson attacks and protests in Ireland, which is in the grips of a housing crisis, and where the number of asylum seekers almost doubled in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period in 2023.

Taoiseach Simon Harris’ crackdown on migration has paid off for the Fine Gael leader since he took over from Leo Varadkar in April, when Sinn Fein, the opposition, held a commanding lead in the polls.

That lead lasted for about two years but their support collapsed in local and European elections in June, after the Left-wing party was outflanked on immigration.

An Irish Times/Ipsos opinion poll, published on Thursday, had Fine Gael’s best results since 2021 and Sinn Fein’s lowest since before the 2020 general election. The centre-Right party climbed four points to 27 per cent, seven points clear of Sinn Fein on 20 per cent, which dropped three points.

Mr Harris’ personal approval ratings jumped by 17 points to a 55 per cent satisfaction rating, which will increase pressure on him to call an early election before the March 2025 deadline.

The poll suggested that the current three-party coalition government could be re-elected if a vote was held today.

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders hailed a request to Brussels by the Dutch government to opt-out of EU migration policy as a “mini-Nexit”. The hard-Right eurosceptic won elections last year on an anti-immigration platform but is not part of the Dutch prime minister’s cabinet.

“It will probably take a very long time. But still, this is a sign of a new wind blowing through the Netherlands”, Mr Wilders said in parliament before making his nod to Brexit.

The European Commission, however, ruled out the Dutch request and said the current laws “continue to be binding for the Netherlands”.

Hungary has said it, too, wants to opt out of European law on migration.