Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 November 2023
335. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Justice how many staff are working in the international protection Office for the processing of International Protection applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49485/23]
View answerIn the International Protection Office (IPO), the government is investing in the recruitment of staff, as part of an ongoing modernisation strategy to increase the use of digitisation, speed up decision-making, and give clarity to those seeking protection as early as possible.
The number of staff in the IPO has increased by 89% this year from 206 to 389. The extra staff assigned has seen a doubling of decisions in the IPO this year ensuring that those in need of protection receive that status without undue delay, while those that do not qualify are advised of this in good time. Additional funding allocated in Budget 2024 will support further resourcing of the IPO including recruiting up to 125 additional staff with the purpose of meeting a processing target of 1200 decisions a month by the end of 2024.
In addition, case processing panel members are contracted by the Department to make recommendations on International Protection cases to the International Protection Office. The number of panel members to be recruited in the IPO and International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) will continue to be increased for the remainder of 2023 and into 2024.
These panel members will be supported by increased training and quality control support from the UNHCR. This expansion in human resources has already resulted in a substantial increase in the number of recommendations made.
