Aindrias Moynihan
Question:321. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the timeframe for decisions by the ministerial decisions unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12127/20]
View answerTuesday, 23 June 2020
Questions (321, 322)
Aindrias Moynihan
Question:322. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if there have been delays to the timeframe for decisions by the ministerial decisions unit as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; if so, the length of the delays; when the delays will be cleared; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12128/20]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 322 together.
My Department processes the recommendations received from the International Protection Office and the decisions of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal in chronological order based on the date the file is received in that Unit. Once the necessary due diligence has been carried out by the Ministerial Decisions Unit, a declaration of status will issue as soon as possible.
The average time for a decision to be finalised to grant a protection status in the 12 months up to 19 March 2020 was 120 days. The average time for a refusal decision was 33 days.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation there have been delays to the time frame for the issuing of international protection decisions. The Ministerial Decisions Unit is continuing to process cases to the extent allowed by government restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19 and that means that as much of the work that can be done remotely is up to date. However, the timelines for the actual issuing of the decisions have necessarily been pushed out to enable conformity with public health measures on social distancing and non-essential travel. Decisions, whether grants or refusals, have not issued routinely since 19 March. The Unit does, however, look at emergency cases on an individual basis and take a tailored approach to them.
All applicants for international protection who are in receipt of recommendations from the IPO or the IPAT, will hear from the Ministerial Decision Unit in due course in relation to the outcome of their applications and their position in the State. In the meantime, they remain applicants under the International Protection Act 2015. They have been advised that if their Temporary Residence Card (TRC) is due to expire, they should consult the IPO website http://www.ipo.gov.ie/ or contact the IPO. Resumption of normal timeframes remains under constant review subject to the advice of the HSE and the Chief Medical Officer and once commenced, decisions will be issued in chronological order.
The matter is receiving ongoing attention and as soon as a practical plan is in place for the re-commencement of normal service delivery, subject to the advice of the HSE and the Chief Medical Officer, notifications will be placed on our website (www.inis.gov.ie).