I ask the Deputy to hold on as we will come to it when we discuss the work programme. We have the HRI listed to appear before the committee. We will note and publish the correspondence.
No. R2599, from Ms Helen Brophy, general director, Institute of Public Administration, IPA, and dated 10 May 2024, provides to the committee an explanatory note under Circular 24/2021 on the timely production, submission and laying before the Houses of the Oireachtas of the annual accounts of bodies and funds. We wrote to the IPA because we were concerned about the delay in its forwarding of information to the committee. Basically, the correspondence sets out that there is a look-back back review in 2024 and that the 2022 accounts had not been forwarded to the Department of public expenditure but were subsequently forwarded on 15 March 2024. I think people would find it wholly unacceptable that it took almost two years to do so. The IPA stated that the delay occurred due to a combination of internal circumstances relating to staff leaving and handover arrangements.
This was an avoidable oversight error. The IPA has implemented internal controls to ensure all financial governance reporting timelines are adhered to. In the last paragraph, it apologises to the committee and Oireachtas for the delay and oversight. It was quite a substantial delay. It has committed to correcting that and ensuring that there is not a recurrence. It is agreed to note and publish No. 2599.
Next is No. 2601 from Ms Anne Stewart, assistant secretary general, Office of Government Procurement. It is dated 13 May and provides correspondence to the committee in relation to ongoing issues with the procurement of translation and interpreting services. It is proposed to note and publish this correspondence. We were seeking a briefing regarding the procurement of translation and interpretation services and it states that a tender to establish a framework for interpretation services was originally published on 28 May 2020. However, legal proceedings delayed its establishment. These proceedings have since been resolved and, as a result, a new framework for interpretation services has been live since 18 November 2022 and will be in place for four years. If any member wishes to come in on this, feel free. I note it was published on 28 May 2020 but legal matters - we do not know the nature - delayed the establishment of the framework. It is important that a framework is in place. It has been resolved. It took a year and a half. Since 18 November 2022, the framework has been in place for a contract for four years. Does any member wish to comment? It is proposed to note and publish it. I take that as agreed.
Next is No. 2605 from Ms Oonagh McPhillips, Secretary General of the Department of Justice. It provides a response to the committee in relation to carrier liability and first instance decisions. This is to do with immigration. It is proposed to note and publish this item. Is that agreed? Agreed. In that correspondence, there is important information. We asked about how it is policed. It states in its letter that the Immigration Act 2003 contains obligations for carriers travelling into the State from outside the jurisdiction. Enforcement is therefore a matter for An Garda Síochána. It has clarified that. We also asked about first instance decisions. We requested further information on the steps being taken to reduce that from the median of 13 months. My recollection from when it was before the committee was that it was 14 or 15 months. We will not argue over that. It set out the measures it is taking and a number of pointers. It states that at the end of April, the IPO staff office had 405 members, compared with 282 in April 2023. On training for the onboarding of new IPO panel members - these are presumably the decision-makers - there are 200. It was much lower. Ninety are fully-trained and 80 further members are undertaking their first interviews.
The review of existing designated safe countries has been carried out. Ten countries have been considered to be designated safe countries. At the end of January, both Algeria and Botswana were added to the list. We had that information already. In April 2024, the Minister decided to prioritise and accelerate international protection applicants from countries with the largest number of applicants. Based on quarter 1 2024, that turned out to be Nigeria. This will be reviewed again in 2024. Members may have a view on this - I am puzzled as to why there are only ten countries designated as safe. It does not deal with people from countries with normal inflows and outflows of people, including Irish people. In terms of the countries people tend to come from, we should ask for information on how that decision is made. I presume information is taken from embassies, international police forces or whatever. I propose to the committee that we ask the Department of Justice to explain how we arrived at a situation in which only two countries were added to the original list of eight and there are still only ten countries designated as safe. Does Deputy Murphy wish to comment?
