Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 2003

Vol. 566 No. 1

Written Answers. - Asylum Applications.

Batt O'Keeffe

Question:

624 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of failed applications for refugee status or humanitarian need to remain here by asylum seekers for the period 2000, 2001 and 2002. [11634/03]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following tables.

Table 1 – Recommendations to Refuse a Declaration of Refugee Status for 2000, 2001 & 2002 at First Instance.

Year	Refused*
2000	6,281
2001	6,501
2002	7,469
Total	20,251

Note: In so far as first instance decisions are concerned, the recommendations to refuse refer to the year in which the recommendation was made and not the year in which the application was lodged.

* Total number of refusals includes manifestly unfounded after interview and recommendations under S11(9) of the Refugee Act 1996, i.e. refusal of declaration follows non-attendance at interview without reasonable cause.

Table 2 – Outcome of Appeals for 2000, 2001 and 2002

(at Second Stage).

Year	Refused*
2000	2,485
2001	2,010
2002	3,682
Total	8177

* includes substantive and manifestly unfounded refusals.

With regard to leave to remain, section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1999 requires the Minister to consider a range of 11 different factors, including humanitarian considerations, in determining whether to make a deportation order or grant temporary leave to remain in the State. The obligation imposed on the Minister arises whether or not the person concerned is a failed asylum seeker and whether or not he-she has made representations of any sort, including representations on humanitarian grounds, for leave to remain. As a reflection of these realities, statistics are not maintained which would distinguish former asylum seekers from other classes of non-national or which would distinguish cases where representations on humanitarian grounds were made from other cases. I can say that the number of temporary leave to remain permissions granted on bases other than parentage of an Irish-born child or marriage to an Irish-EEA national for the years concerned was as follows:

Year	No. of Persons
2000	19
2001	67
2002	159