Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
458. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the average length of time for the first initial decision to be made for international protection applicants for each of the past five years and to date in 2024; and the longest time for an applicant to receive a first decision for the corresponding timeframe. [21504/24]
View answer466. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of international protection applicants there have been for each of the past five years up to end-April; 2024, the number of these who IPAS is now unable to locate or does not know their whereabouts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21737/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 458 and 466 together.
My Department takes all necessary steps to manage the international protection process efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity of those processes is maintained at all times.
Making sure that applications are processed quickly means those who need our protection are given the opportunity to re-build their life in Ireland in a timely manner. It also means that those who do not qualify, return to their country of origin.
My Department have taken a significant number of measures to increase the capacity of the international protection system.
In July 2023, I published a report on the international protection modernisation programme for 2023 and 2024. This programme involved unparalleled investment in staff, panel members, reengineered processes, and technology. We have implemented measures to improve efficiencies and throughput as well as enhancing the application, interview and decision-making process for applicants.
One of the priority areas of focus has been to recruit both civil servants and panel members, to increase case processing. My Department recently doubled the staff assigned to the International Protection Office. This has led to the number of decisions issuing increasing threefold and will increase further this year. To the end of April, 5,000 interviews were scheduled this year, compared to 2,800 in the same period in 2023.
Approximately €34m in additional funding was allocated in Budget 2024. This has allowed for the doubling of staff and the trebling of decisions issued.
Alongside of these measures and the impact that they are having, the number of new applications being made continues to increase and remains exceptionally high. In April 2024, 2,024 applications were made, the highest number of applications made in a single month. This increase is having an impact on overall processing times and in anticipation of this my Department is developing a new resourcing plan to further increase staffing, panel members and other resources so as to efficiently meet the new processing needs.
The below table provides a yearly breakdown of IP applications made. Data is subject to cleansing and may change.
|
Year of Application |
Total |
|
2019 |
4,782 |
|
2020 |
1,566 |
|
2021 |
2,648 |
|
2022 |
13,646 |
|
2023 |
13,272 |
|
2024* |
7,668 |
*To 07th May 2024
As of 30th April 2024 there were 21,577 applicants awaiting a first instance decision at the IPO. Of these, 98% (21,080) have been in the system for less than 2 years and almost 70% are less than 1 year.
It should be noted that in the very small number of cases with unusually long processing times, these are typically attributable to circumstances outside of the control of the Department. The reasons for such extended delays in processing can include an applicant who may have an ongoing Judicial Review, certain applicants may be uncontactable or uncooperative, or may be a child with a separate application where a parent has already received a decision but contact has not been maintained with the Department, and some applicants may not be co-operating with the application process itself. Arrangements have been put in place to appropriately resolve such cases without further delay wherever feasible. In many cases, these applications are in effect dormant and the applicant may have left the jurisdiction or has ceased to co-operate with the system. In cases of non-cooperation, an application is processed to conclusion including up to the making of a deportation order. A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so is committing a criminal offence, and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána. Such an order may remain on the person’s record permanently subject to review by the Minister on request by the person concerned. The existence of a deportation order means they cannot enter Ireland again in future, and it will likely also have an impact on their ability to travel to the UK and the EU.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) carries out inquiries to confirm that people have removed themselves from the State and works closely with my Department to enforce deportations where this is not the case. We know that a much larger number of people will have left the State voluntarily, but as there are no exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to accurately quantify this number.
In relation to the location of applicants for international protection, the Deputy will be aware that applicants are not under any obligation to remain in IPAS accommodation. Applicants are obliged to notify the International Protection Office of their current address. Failure to do so is an offence under the International Protection Act 2015 and these applicants can also be dealt with through the non-cooperation procedure.
The table attached details IPO Application Process Times to First Instance Decisions in months.
|
- |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 (Jan-Apr) |
|||||
|
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Median |
|
19 |
17 |
18 |
17 |
24 |
23 |
20 |
18 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
16 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
19 |
17 |
18 |
17 |
24 |
23 |
20 |
18 |
15 |
14 |
17 |
18 |
|
<1 |
<1 |
<1 |
<1 |
<1 |
<1 |
||||||
|
142 |
118 |
89 |
170 |
78 |
72 |
*Longest processing time: this is measuring the application created date to the application close date of the application that took the longest time to be decided, out of all the decisions in each calendar year.
