International Protection

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022

Tuesday, 31 May 2022

Questions (564, 567, 568, 569)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

564. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice the number of people awaiting entry into the international protection system [27295/22]

Catherine Connolly

Question:

567. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice the number of international protection applications made to date in 2022. [27298/22]

Catherine Connolly

Question:

568. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications currently awaiting a first instance decision at the International Protection Office; the median projected waiting time for a first instance decision for applicants for both prioritised and non-prioritised applications. [27299/22]

Catherine Connolly

Question:

569. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications for international protection made by persons in prison to date in 2022. [27300/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 564 and 567 to 569, inclusive, together.

The overall objective of my Department is to have recommendations made on international protection applications as soon as possible. This ensures that those who are found to be in need of protection from the State can receive it quickly and begin rebuilding their lives here with a sense of safety and security.

Anyone who wishes to make an application for international protection must proactively do so on their own behalf and on behalf of any of their minor family members. If they apply initially at their port of entry to the State they will still need to make a formal application at the Dublin offices of the International Protection Office (IPO) of my Department. There is no need to make an appointment. Everyone completes their preliminary interview under section 13 of the International Protection Act 2015 on the day they first attend the IPO offices. Therefore, there are no applicants waiting for a preliminary interview.

In recent months, the number of people claiming international protection has increased significantly with 3,354 applications made to the end of April 2022. This represents a 600% increase on the same period in 2021 and a 129% increase on the same period in 2019, the last year in which application numbers were not impacted by Covid-19. There have been 12 applications made by persons in prison to the end of April 2022.

Notwithstanding the very large increase in the number of applications, the median processing time for all international protection cases processed to completion by the IPO in Quarter 1 2022 was 26 months. The median processing times for prioritised applications processed in Q1 2022 was 18 months.

In total, there were 6,960 international protection applications on hand at the IPO at the end of April 2022.

I can assure the Deputy that my Department continues to work to improve the international protection process and to reduce processing times, in line with the recommendations made by the Expert Advisory Group, led by Dr. Catherine Day, and the commitments in the Government's White Paper. However, the substantially higher number of applications currently being received will present a significant challenge in achieving this.

An end-to-end review of relevant international protection processes by a multi-disciplinary team from my Department has been completed and published. New measures and procedures will continue to be put in place to improve efficiencies across all aspects of the protection process. My Department will, by October 2022 at the latest, commence a review of progress made in reducing and improving processing times.

I have also introduced a separate strand under the Regularisation Scheme for international protection applicants who have been in the asylum process for a minimum of two years, implementing a key recommendation of the Expert Advisory Group. My Department has written to approximately 4,000 potentially eligible applicants inviting them to apply under the Scheme and I would encourage anyone who may be eligible to consider applying. This strand of the scheme is open for applications until 7 August 2022.