I can inform the Deputy that there were 6,115 persons residing in Direct Provision accommodation as of 1 January 2019. The corresponding figure at 1 January 2020, was 7,683 persons. In 2019, the total figure for grants of status or permission to remain was 1,284. Between January and April of this year that total figure was 301 grants.
The table below shows the number of persons residing in accommodation as of 31 May 2020, by nationality. At that date, there were people from a total of 110 different nationalities residing in our accommodation. The figures include both international protection applicants and people who are no longer in the process, having already been granted an international protection status (refugee status or subsidiary protection) or a permission to remain in the State. Currently, we continue to accommodate almost 1,000 such people. We are assisting these residents to transition to permanent mainstream accommodation, working closely with the City and County Managers Association, the Local Authorities and organisations like DePaul Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust and the Jesuit Refugee Service. People with status or permission to remain in the State have the same entitlement to housing supports and State services as everyone else.
No breakdown is provided for nationalities with less than 10 people due to the increased risk of their identification, which is prohibited under Section 26 of the International Protection Act 2015.
Nationality
|
Total
|
Afghanistan
|
178
|
Albania
|
558
|
Algeria
|
199
|
Angola
|
30
|
Bahrain
|
11
|
Bangladesh
|
189
|
Benin
|
11
|
Bolivia
|
35
|
Botswana
|
41
|
Brazil
|
20
|
Burundi
|
12
|
Cameroon
|
79
|
China (including Hong Kong)
|
12
|
Congo, The Democratic Republic of
|
310
|
Cote D’Ivoire
|
12
|
Egypt
|
29
|
El Salvador
|
22
|
Eritrea
|
15
|
Ethiopia
|
25
|
Georgia
|
655
|
Ghana
|
89
|
Guatemala
|
19
|
India
|
69
|
Iran (Islam Republic of)
|
37
|
Iraq
|
84
|
Israel
|
10
|
Jordan
|
14
|
Kenya
|
34
|
Kosovo/UNSCR 1244
|
34
|
Kuwait
|
15
|
Lesotho
|
11
|
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
|
21
|
Malawi
|
228
|
Malaysia
|
16
|
Mauritius
|
36
|
Morocco
|
50
|
Nepal
|
13
|
Nigeria
|
987
|
Pakistan
|
509
|
Palestinian Territory, Occupied
|
56
|
Russian Federation
|
28
|
Sierra Leone
|
64
|
Somalia
|
199
|
South Africa
|
610
|
Sri Lanka
|
15
|
Sudan
|
49
|
Swaziland
|
29
|
Syrian Arab Republic
|
85
|
Tanzania, United Republic of
|
11
|
Togo
|
25
|
Uganda
|
46
|
Ukraine
|
26
|
Venezuela
|
17
|
Yemen
|
10
|
Zambia
|
13
|
Zimbabwe
|
1034
|
Others (54 countries)
|
159
|
Total
|
7,195
|
The procedures to be followed in the assessment of applications for international protection are set out in law under the provisions of the International Protection Act 2015. As such, there are certain steps that the International Protection Office (IPO) is required by law to follow in assessing every application. The IPO is constantly exploring all options that will lead to a more timely processing of such applications.
The IPO currently has an existing caseload of approximately 5,700 cases (at end April 2020) having received almost 4,800 applications in 2019. Applications have been increasing year on year since the IPO’s creation at the end of 2016, with applications up 30% approximately at the end of 2019 on the total received in 2018. However, it is acknowledged that the impacts of COVID-19 on travel to Ireland since March 2020 will somewhat distort that upward trend.
Efforts to improve processing times have been impacted upon by the current COVID-19 pandemic which has reduced the output of cases considerably. The IPO’s main focus going forward is to get its processing system functioning as effectively and efficiently as possible, while adhering to all measures in place to combat the spread of COVID-19.
It is recognised that no single solution will achieve faster processing times but rather a targeted suite of measures, including additional staffing resources. Options that are being explored include greater automation of the process including ICT improvements, revision of key documentation and the use of remote interviewing.
Historically, the majority of international protection interviews were conducted at the IPO in Dublin with applicants travelling from their accommodation to Dublin for interview. Early in 2019, the IPO commenced a pilot to conduct protection interviews in suitable locations. These locations were closer to applicant's accommodation and removed the challenge for applicants of having to travel sometimes considerable distances for interview. This pilot was successful and in November 2019 the IPO moved to the next stage - interviews by video conference (VC). The first VC interviews took place in the south and, in early 2020, were also successfully trialled in the north west. The successful trials suggest that interview by VC may be suitable for many, though not all applicants. The success of these trials will also factor into the IPO planning for the resumption of protection interviews in the context of COVID-19 restrictions.