My Department is obliged, pursuant to section 26 of the International Protection Act 2015, to ensure that the identity of any person who applies for international protection is kept confidential. Section 26(1) sets out that “the Minister and the Tribunal and their respective officers shall take all practicable steps to ensure that the identity of applicants is kept confidential".
Therefore, if an application for international protection has been made in the State, it is not the practice to comment on such applications. The applicant or their designated legal advisor should contact the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate. This will enable a full and comprehensive reply to be provided.
The staff of the Chief International Protection Officer and International Protection Officers are independent by law in the exercise of their international protection functions. They are also bound by confidentiality provisions in respect of applicants as set out in the 2015 Act, and as a consequence, will only deal with the applicant or their legal representative in the processing of their application.
The law governing the examination and determination of applications for international protection is set out in the International Protection act 2015 and the document in the link below will help in understanding the procedures for processing such applications. www.ipo.gov.ie/en/IPO/InfoBookletNew.pdf/Files/InfoBookletNew.pdf .
