Vol. 526 No. 1
88 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applicants for asylum currently awaiting an initial decision on their applications; the number awaiting a decision on appeal; and if he will allow all asylum applicants obtain employment pending a final decision on applications for asylum. [25997/00]
My Department's records indicate that the number of asylum applicants awaiting a determination of their applications at first instance at 31 October 2000 was 10,320. The number awaiting a decision at appeal stage at 31 October 2000 was 2,536.
On 5 July 2000 the Government announced approval for the immediate recruitment of 370 additional staff for asylum case processing and appeals and to deal with consequential repatriations, with the possibility of more staff being made available in the future. This will allow a number of strategic objectives to be achieved. It will greatly increase processing capacity, including appeals, to deliver more speedy decisions on applications for refugee status leading, in due course, to the completion to finality of the processing of all new asylum applications within a six month period which will ensure those who qualify clearly as refugees will receive decisions on their applications much more speedily and that applications where there is clearly no basis for qualification will also be dealt with on a faster basis. It will mean the elimination of the asylum applications currently in hand as soon as possible and dealing with the increased numbers of repatriations that are expected to arise in respect of persons whose applications for refugee status are refused. Additional accommodation is also in the process of being sourced for this purpose.
It is not proposed to allow asylum applicants to work pending a final decision being made on such applications. However, the Government, as an exceptional measure, agreed on 26 July 1999 that those asylum seekers who have been in this country for more than 12 months, who are still awaiting a final determination of their application for refugee status and who have been compliant with their obligations as asylum seekers should be given the right to seek work. The arrangement applied to those who sought asylum here up to 26 July 1999, as soon as they crossed the 12 month threshold.
In December 1999 the Government decided to remove the requirement that an employer must obtain a work permit before employing asylum seekers covered by the 26 July 1999 Government decision. It also decided that each eligible asylum seeker should be issued with a letter confirming entitlement to work for presentation to potential employers and the Department arranged accordingly. To date, more than 2,500 such letters have issued. My Department is currently evaluating the outcome of the arrangement. Preliminary figures, however, indicate a low uptake.
Will the Minister indicate the average waiting time for determining asylum applications? How many people seeking asylum have been waiting in excess of 12 months for an initial decision? How many people seeking to have a decision made on appeal have been in this State for in excess of 12 months? Will the Minister acknowledge that there is a public interest and duty to allow asylum seekers to have some feelings of personal dignity and that a substantial number of those seeking asylum wish to work? The Government is failing to allow them to do so and, as a consequence, is failing to allow them to show a degree of independence and enjoy the personal dignity to which they are entitled. By doing so the Government is fomenting and contributing to the creation of racist sentiment by giving rise to a public perception that asylum seekers are simply interested in living off the State and being in receipt of social welfare when the overwhelming majority of them wish to obtain independent employment and make a contribution to this country and support their families through their own endeavours.
The number of cases outstanding as at 31 October 2000 was 10,320 and the number of appeal cases outstanding at that date was in the region of 2,536.
How many people were waiting for longer than one year?
Deputy Shatter will be well aware that other than manifestly unfounded cases people would have waited for longer than a year—
All of them.
—because the amount of staff I inherited when I came into office in June 1997 was paltry.
The Minister has been in office for three years. That is longer than his predecessor.
There were approximately 22 staff trying to deal with thousands of applications and people did not know if their applications would be heard.
That is outrageous.
I set about increasing the number of staff as the number of applicants proceeded to increase. I now have approval overall for approximately 670 staff and the objective of the exercise is to ensure we will be able to have decisions handed down, including appeals, within a period of six months. Manifestly unfounded cases are being dealt with within a period of three to four weeks with an appeal within seven working days. I am satisfied the procedures are working extremely well in so far as the manifestly unfounded applications are concerned. As the numbers in staff increase—
When will they increase?
—we will have a corresponding improvement in terms of dealing with applicants for asylum. The recruitment process is under way at present. I recently obtained approval from the Government for a further 370 staff. The Deputy must remember this comes from a base line of fewer than 25.
The Minister administered that base line for three and a half years.
I do not know why Deputies ask questions if they do not listen to the answers.
The Minister is incapable of giving a brief answer.
As regards the question of people being allowed to work, that position has been outlined on numerous occasions and I have set it out again this afternoon. That situation is unchanged as of now. I do not anticipate change in that respect.
The Minister disagrees with the view of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
