A high priority is being given to the reduction in processing times for asylum applications including the allocation of additional staff to this area and the streamlining of procedures and processes.
In 1996, there were four staff working in the asylum division of the Department. By 1997 this number had risen to 22 staff. During 1997 the Government approved a proposal for the recruitment of an additional 72 staff to help deal with the backlog of asylum cases and the ongoing intake of new asylum seekers. In July 1998 Government approval was obtained to recruit an additional 72 staff for the asylum, immigration and citizenship areas. A further 120 staff were sanctioned for the asylum, immigration and citizenship work and for the directorate for asylum seeker support services in December 1999. This represented the largest allocation of staff resources in any area of the Civil Service since the Government came into office and underlines the priority which the Government attaches to the issue of more expeditious asylum processing and procedures.
There are currently 175 sanctioned posts involved directly in processing asylum applications. As I announced on 8 May 2000, when the Government approved a number of further initiatives on asylum, refugee and immigration matters, I will be making detailed proposals to the Government shortly on the further acceleration of asylum processing including staffing aspects.
In relation to the processing of applications, I would inform the Deputy that between May 1998, the starting point from which the Department has began to fully address the backlog of applications and 31 May 2000, a total of 9630 interviews were scheduled of which 6,252 were completed. All applicants who lodged a claim up to the end of June 1999 have at this time been afforded the opportunity of a substantive interview with some minor exceptions and with the exception of those cases in respect of which issues are outstanding under the Dublin convention. Substantive decisions are notified to applicants within three months of interview. Manifestly unfounded decisions are notified within three weeks of interview.
The aim of my Department is to minimise the time taken from the date of application to completion of the procedure in a refugee determination process which meets the highest EU and international standards and enables applications to be processed within six months.