Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2017
186. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the median waiting time between an application for protection being made under section 15 of the International Protection Act 2015 and the personal interview under section 35 of the Act for non prioritised applications. [45213/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the present time it is not possible to calculate a median waiting time between the date of application for international protection under section 15 of the International protection Act 2015 and the date on which the personal interview takes place. This is mainly due to the different case types on hands which were returned (by the former Refugee Appeals Tribunal and the former Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner) to the International Protection Office (IPO) under the transition provisions in the International Protection Act 2015.
Based on current staffing levels, the IPO estimates that cases in the transition categories (i.e. all cases in the process on commencement date) will be interviewed and cleared by October 2018. It is estimated that the interviewing and processing of applications received since the commencement of the 2015 Act (except for relocation or prioritised cases which may be processed earlier) will be underway by November 2018. However, it is expected that further additional resources to those already provided to the IPO will be allocated to the office to shorten this period.
The prioritisation of international protection applications in the context of the scheduling of interviews is provided for in the 2015 Act subject to the need for fairness and efficiency. Once an Application for International Protection Questionnaire (IPO 2) and other supporting documentation is returned by applicants, the IPO is scheduling applicants for interview primarily on the basis of date of application (oldest cases first). However, certain categories of applicant are also being prioritised such as those from refugee generating countries, such as Syria, and unaccompanied minors. The IPO’s approach to prioritisation has been agreed with the UNHCR and is available on its website: www.ipo.gov.ie".
