Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:141 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the time taken to process an application for residency, refugee or asylum seeking status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17302/03]
Vol. 569 No. 1
141 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the time taken to process an application for residency, refugee or asylum seeking status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17302/03]
I assume that the Deputy is referring to a situation where a person arrives in this jurisdiction and makes an application for asylum. If successful, a grant of refugee status results in legal entitlement to residency in the State. If unsuccessful, the issue of residency falls to be considered in the context of a proposal to make a deportation order.
In relation to asylum applications, the Government's asylum strategy envisages that such applications should be processed within a six-month timescale. Significant progress continues to be made in relation to the processing of asylum applications, which is evidenced by the fact that the number of cases which are over six months old in the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, ORAC, and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, RAT, was in the region of 1,800 at end May 2003 as compared with a figure of 6,500 approximately at end September 2001. The vast majority of these applications are in the final stages of processing. The ORAC is now scheduling for interview in June 2003 some applications made in March 2003.