Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 20 Oct 1998

Vol. 495 No. 4

Written Answers. - Asylum Applications.

Liz McManus

Question:

69 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applications for asylum received in each month to date in 1998; the average time being taken to process applications; the number of applications refused to date in 1998; the number of applicants who have left the country voluntarily or who have been deported; the reason the tendering process for the provision of an independent refugee legal service was abandoned; the steps, if any, to be taken to provide this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20129/98]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The number of applications for asylum received in each month to date in 1998 is as follows:

January	321
February	425
March	632
April	407
May	390
June	440
July	449
August	407
September	313
October
(14/10/98)	109

It is not possible to accurately average the time being taken to process applications for asylum. Cases can go through all or some of the stages — Dublin Convention, manifestly unfounded, substantive assessment and appeals at all these stages. Also some staff are assigned to dealing with new applications while others are assigned to dealing with the backlog. In addition, a high proportion of applicants do not turn up for scheduled interviews or respond to communications. However, it is my hope that with the additional staff sanctioned for my Department's asylum division, new cases will generally be finalised in a matter of months. The number of applications refused to date in 1998 is 756. Most of these would relate to applications from previous years.

In the absence of exit controls, statistics on the number of applicants who have left the country voluntarily are not available. According to records held in my Department, 69 persons have withdrawn their applications and indicated that they wished to leave the country. Some of these would have been deported under escort and are included in the deportation figure below. Others would have departed without escort. In total, 36 persons who sought asylum and for whom deportation orders exist have departed without escort, including persons whose cases have been processed to finality.

A total of 51 persons have been deported under escort to 14 October this year. Of these, 22 were deported pursuant to the Dublin Convention. Some 12 persons who had been refused refugee status were returned to their country of origin. A further 17 persons were deported under escort of whom a number had at one stage in their stay made an application for asylum but subsequently withdrew it.

In May 1998 my Department sought tenders from persons interested in establishing and maintaining an independent refugee legal service. Five tenders were received and following the detailed evaluation process conducted by a committee comprising one representative each from my Department, the Office of the Attorney General and the UNHCR, it was recommended that the tender process be abandoned and no contract awarded. I have accepted this recommendation and further options are being considered. It is hoped to finalise arrangements shortly.