Vol. 502 No. 1
62 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of cases in his Department seeking asylum; the difficulties being experienced in establishing and verifying identity; his views on whether it would be beneficial in the processing of these applications to make inquiries in the country of origin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7047/99]
There are 6,855 applications for asylum in hand in my Department.
The majority of applicants have no documentary evidence of identity. The documents in the possession of some applicants have been provided by a facilitator for the purpose of travel and, accordingly, are not reliable. It is an important feature of the asylum determination process for an asylum seeker to show that he or she has grounds for being recognised as a refugee and that the asylum seeker is who he or she claims to be. It is necessary, therefore, for asylum seekers to produce, as far as it is possible in their particular circumstances, some sort of evidence as to their identity.
It is common practice to advise all asylum seekers to try to secure and provide documentary evidence of their nationality and documentary evidence to support their application for asylum.
The authorities in the country of application are precluded from making any inquiries with the country of origin as to the identity of any individual seeking asylum. Officials of my Department are fully compliant with this requirement. Any research of country of origin information is from independent sources, which primarily includes the UNHCR.
