Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
1104. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice the breakdown of the staffing levels in his Department and associated agencies dedicated to processing international protection applications in each of the years 2015 to 2022, in tabular form. [1199/23]
View answerThe Deputy may wish to note that on the commencement of the International Protection Act 2015 in December 2016, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner was abolished and responsibility for the investigation of applications for international protection transferred to the International Protection Office.
The International Protection Appeals Tribunal, formerly the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, was established in December 2016 in accordance with section 61 of the International Protection Act 2015.
As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the Irish Refugee Protection Programme transferred to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth with the transfer of functions, in October 2020.
A breakdown of officers involved in processing international protection applications within the Department of Justice from 2015 to 2022 is set out in the table below.
|
|
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Office of Refugee Applications Commissioner |
88 |
124 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Irish Refugee Protection Programme |
9 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
International Protection Office |
|
|
140 |
144 |
143 |
148 |
178 |
214 |
|
Refugee Appeals Tribunal |
37 |
40 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
International Protection Appeals Tribunal |
|
|
44 |
48 |
50 |
47 |
51 |
47 |
|
Total |
134 |
172 |
184 |
192 |
193 |
195 |
229 |
261 |
