My Department's records indicate that the total number of asylum applicants awaiting a final determination on their asylum applications as at 31 August 2000 is 12,875. This figure takes account of all applications made up to that date.
The current processing time for processing asylum applications from initial application stage to the determination of an appeal, in cases where applicants avail of the opportunity to appeal, takes between four months, – manifestly unfounded cases – and two years. In cases where there is no appeal the processing time is between four to 15 months. If there is a further challenge to a deportation order and/or the asylum process, the period could extend to a further two years.
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. As an illustration of this commitment, I announced recently that I have obtained approval for the recruitment of 370 additional staff for, inter alia, the asylum case processing and appeals areas.
There are 32 judicial review cases in regard to asylum matters currently before the courts. These 32 cases involve 85 applicants.