Skip to main content
Normal View

International Protection

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Questions (1320)

Pa Daly

Question:

1320. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice the estimated number of international protection order interviews that would need to be conducted for the current backlog to be cleared. [39086/21]

View answer

Written answers

The International Protection Office (IPO) of my Department has remained open to offer applicants a service, in line with our international obligations to allow those who wish to claim international protection the opportunity to do so. The provision of the facility to allow people claim international protection is considered an essential service at all times, including during the Covid-19 crisis.

The interview schedule for the IPO has, however, been severely disrupted during this time. As of 30 June 2021, approximately 4,430 applicants were awaiting interview. 

With effect from 10 May 2021, interviews re-commenced in limited numbers by video conference in line with health and safety guidance, with the applicant in one room linked by video conference to an interviewer in another room of the same building.  Interviews by video link from Cork have also resumed. Over 140 video conference interviews have taken place since 10 May.

My Department is committed to implementing the key recommendations in the Expert Advisory Group Report to reduce processing times of both first instance decisions and appeals to 6 months respectively, as outlined in the White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Protection Support Service.

A Programme Board has been established in my Department to oversee the implementation of the relevant recommendations and is supported by an Implementation Working Group. My Department will also be represented on a Programme Board being established by my colleague, Minister O'Gorman, which will set performance indicators for the new model and monitor progress against those indicators. 

The White Paper proposes that the new system should be phased in and operational by 2024 and that the intervening period should provide an opportunity to progress improvements in the overall processing times for international protection.

Work is under way in my Department towards identifying mechanisms which will assist with this. For example, additional ICT resources have been secured for this year, and detailed practical work, including the end-to-end review of relevant international protection processes by a multi-disciplinary team from within my Department, has now been completed.

My Department's main focus now 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.  

Top
Share