Tuesday, 11 Jun 2019

Written Answers Nos. 305-319

Garda Administrative Costs

Ceisteanna (305)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

305. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated full year cost of employing ten new front-line gardaí. [23257/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

There has been an unprecedented level of investment in An Garda Síochána in recent years. The budgetary allocation to An Garda Síochána for 2019 amounts to €1.76 billion, which includes provision for sustained recruitment to An Garda Síochána this year. The Garda Commissioner has informed me that he intends to recruit 600 trainee Gardaí in 2019 and it is positive that the number of sworn Garda members is now in excess of 14,000, with 200 more Gardaí having attested on 7 June. An Garda Síochána remains on track to reach the target of 15,000 sworn Garda members by 2021.

Very significant capital investment is also being made, including investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021; and investment of €46 million in the Garda Fleet over the same period. This continuing investment in people and capital supports the Government’s commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime.

In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána and for the allocation of Garda resources, in light of identified operational demands. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the estimated full year cost of employing 10 newly attested Gardaí is €441,316. This estimate includes the basic salary (at the first point on the Garda pay scale), fixed allowances, an estimate of variable allowances (which newly attested Gardaí may qualify for depending on their assignments) and employer’s PRSI.

This estimate does not include any payments made to trainee Gardaí while attending the Garda training college for 32 weeks, nor does it include the impact of any pay increases (including the 1.75% pay rise scheduled for 1 September 2019).

Garda Administrative Costs

Ceisteanna (306)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

306. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated full year cost of employing ten new administration staff in An Garda Síochána. [23258/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made, including investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021; and investment of €46 million in the Garda Fleet over the same period.

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including by arranging for the recruitment and training of personnel. Further, the allocation of Garda resources and distribution of personnel are a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands.

I am pleased to say that recruitment of Garda members and staff is ongoing. Since the beginning of 2017, just under 480 new Garda staff posts have been sanctioned by the Policing Authority with the consent of my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Government provided funding in Budget 2019 to sustain continued recruitment into An Garda Síochána and, as part of this recruitment, the Commissioner decided to recruit a net 600 Garda Staff this year, which will facilitate the ongoing programme of civilianisation in An Garda Síochána and allow for redeployment of approximately 500 experienced Gardaí to frontline policing duties by the end of this year. This fully reflects the Governments’ continuing support for the Commissioner in reaching the target of 4,000 Garda staff by 2021.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of 30 April 2019, there were approximately 2,600 Garda staff undertaking administrative, professional, technical and industrial support duties.

I am further informed that such staff positions range from clerical support and financial management functions to specialised roles in HR, IT and telecommunications, as well as teaching, finance and procurement, internal audit, communications, research and analysis, accommodation, scene-of-crime support and legal and medical services. Large numbers of Garda staff also work in operational areas including the Garda Central Vetting Bureau, the Garda Information Service Centre, the Fixed Charge Processing Office and the Command and Control Centre.

Bearing in mind this broad range of duties, I am advised by the Garda authorities that the estimated cost of employing ten new administration staff would be approximately €450,000, on the basis of an average estimated cost per civilian employee of approximately €45,000, including employer costs such as PRSI.

Courts Service Data

Ceisteanna (307)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

307. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost of increasing the Courts Service annual funding by 5%. [23259/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

As the Deputy will be aware, following the publication by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform of the Estimates for Public Services on 9 October 2018, the total gross allocation for 2019 for the Courts Service was confirmed at €138.405 million, comprising €51.5 million for capital spending and €86.9 million for current expenditure. Therefore, a 5 % increase in the annual funding for the Courts Service would cost approximately €6.92 million.

Garda Youth Diversion Projects

Ceisteanna (308)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

308. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost of establishing ten new Garda youth diversion projects; and the estimated full-year cost of running these projects. [23260/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality

In 2018, my Department provided €13,752,726 in grant funding which covered the full year costs of 105 Garda Youth Diversion Projects operating nationwide. A further €2,829,882 in grant funding was provided to support a range of other activities, including project work relating to Local Drugs Task Forces, pilot mentoring initiatives and measures to support training and best practices.

The full year running costs of a Garda Youth Diversion Project will vary between projects and is dependent on several factors including location, catchment area and the number of participants. I am informed that the most recently established GYDPs, in locations where a project had not existed before, were set up in 2015. These projects were allocated a maximum annual budget of €125,000 each. This included any costs associated with the establishment of the project, but not any costs for additional work in the areas of mentoring, family support, preventative work, etc.

The cost for setting up 10 new projects, with the standard staffing level of two youth Justice Workers, would be approximately €1,250,000, and any additional running costs for these would vary depending on size and location and on the agreed workplan for the project. The approximate average cost of running a project, in 2019, is estimated as €137,505.

Citizenship Applications

Ceisteanna (309)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

309. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23266/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the processing of the application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is ongoing. On completion of the necessary processing the application will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. Should further documentation be required it will be requested from the applicant in due course.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements, not only within the State but also at European Union level, and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. The nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Work Permits Applications

Ceisteanna (310)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

310. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of an application for a work permit by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23269/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

At the outset, I would remind the Deputy that ministerial responsibility for the State's work permit system is vested in the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

In terms of the wider immigration case of the person concerned, I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application made by the person concerned for an extension of student conditions was refused by letter dated 10th September, 2018.

In light of the fact that the person concerned had no valid basis to remain in the State, they were, by letter dated 19th October, 2018, notified of the proposal to make a Deportation Order in respect of them and, in response to that notification, the person concerned has submitted written representations.

These representations, together with all other information and documentation on file, will be fully considered, under Section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended) and all other applicable legislation, in advance of a final decision being made.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Garda Transport Provision

Ceisteanna (311)

Thomas Pringle

Ceist:

311. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if funding is available in 2019 to purchase extra Garda command and control vehicles; if so, when these vehicles will come into the fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23271/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána, including a total of €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet between 2016 and 2021. This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet and that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime. A total of €10 million has been made available in 2019 for purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles.

As the Deputy will appreciate, in accordance with Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands. This includes responsibility for the allocation of Garda vehicles among the various Garda divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. I understand however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities to ensure their optimum use.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána intends to use this year's allocation to purchase and fit out over 300 new vehicles for the Garda fleet. I am further informed by the Garda authorities that it is not currently intended to purchase command and control vehicles this year.

Garda Transport Provision

Ceisteanna (312)

Thomas Pringle

Ceist:

312. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if funding is available in 2019 to purchase extra Garda prisoner transport vehicles; if so, when the vehicles will come into the fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23272/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána, including a total of €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet between 2016 and 2021. This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet and that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime. A total of €10 million is available in 2019 for purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles.

As the Deputy will appreciate, in accordance with Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands. This includes responsibility for the allocation of Garda vehicles among the various Garda divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities to ensure their optimum use.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that 3 prisoner transport vehicles have been allocated to the fleet this year, bringing the total number of prisoner transport vehicles to 17.

The Garda authorities have informed me that there are no plans to allocate any further vehicles to this duty at this time.

Garda Data

Ceisteanna (313)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

313. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of instances of Garda firearms and less-than-lethal weapons being discharged in each of the years 2017, 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23281/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

Garda HQ Directive 10/2010 came into effect on 26 January 2010. This requires An Garda Síochána to notify the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission of the discharge of a firearm, or less than lethal device, within 48 hours of the event occurring.

This requirement is additional to that set out in section 102 (1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 which is a statutory requirement on the Garda Commissioner to refer to GSOC any matter that appears to indicate that the conduct of a Garda may have resulted in the death or serious harm to a person.

Based on the notifications made to GSOC by An Garda Síochána, under Directive 10/2010, I wish to provide the Deputy with the following information which I have received from GSOC.

Year	OC (Pepper)Spray	Taser	Firearms
2017	657	34	6
2018	687	31	4
2019 to date	257	8	1

Witness Protection Programme

Ceisteanna (314)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

314. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the budget allocation to the Garda witness protection programme in each of the years 2017, 2018 and 2019, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23282/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána, including investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 and investment of €46 million in the Garda fleet over the same period.

In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána and for the allocation of Garda resources, in light of identified operational demands. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. I understand however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure their optimum use.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the budget allocation to the Garda Witness Protection Programme for each of the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 was €1,198,000.

Citizenship Applications

Ceisteanna (315)

Fiona O'Loughlin

Ceist:

315. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of a citizenship application by a person (details supplied). [23297/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the processing of the application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is ongoing. On completion of the necessary processing the application will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. Should further documentation be required it will be requested from the applicant in due course.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements, not only within the State but also at European Union level, and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. The nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Crime Data

Ceisteanna (316)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

316. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons arrested and convicted for drink driving by age, gender, county and Garda district in each of the previous three years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23310/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

As the Deputy is aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions, and this includes the provision of information on the courts system.

I have requested information from the Courts Service and it advises that it cannot give statistics by gender, age or Garda District. It can only provide the figures for convictions by District Court Area and these are set out in the following table.

Report by Court Area on the number of persons convicted of Drink Driving.

Note: If a person was convicted in more than one court year in the same year, they will appear twice on the report

Court Area	No of Defendants ConvictedJan - Dec 2016	No of Defendants ConvictedJan – Dec 2017	No of Defendants ConvictedJan – Dec 2018	No of Defendants ConvictedJan – Jul 2019
ACAILL		3	1	1
AN CLOCHAN LIATH	4	5	11	6
AN DAINGEAN	6	3	10	3
AN FAL CARRACH	3	3	17	1
ARDEE	6	5	6	6
ARKLOW	9	35	29	2
ATHLONE	25	50	39	19
ATHY	5	13	10	9
BALLAGHADERREEN	3	2	4	3
BALLINA	30	36	20	16
BALLINASLOE	11	18	13	18
BALLYSHANNON	9	17	16	6
BANDON	32	41	48	19
BANTRY	19	16	25	5
BEAL AN MHUIRTHEAD	6	6	5	5
BRAY	26	40	51	20
BUNCRANA	7	8	32	17
CAHIRCIVEEN	5	8	14	1
CARLOW	41	43	63	27
CARNDONAGH	2	9	7	12
CARRICK ON SHANNON	12	20	27	11
CARRICK ON SUIR	7	8	9	7
CARRICKMACROSS	35	46	42	26
CASHEL	27	41	38	21
CASTLEBAR	34	38	36	14
CASTLEREA	3	1	7	5
CAVAN	45	89	59	37
CILL RONAIN	1	9	1
CLIFDEN	10	26	9	2
CLONAKILTY	26		22	7
CLONMEL	32	30	34	13
CORK CITY	202	239	235	97
DOIRE AN FHEICH	7	8	13	2
DONEGAL	12	21	22	5
DROGHEDA	28	32	33	17
DUBLIN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT	542	552	647	295
DUNDALK	54	67	51	24
DUNGARVAN	13	20	22	9
ENNIS	66	68	80	37
FERMOY	32	38	48	17
GALWAY	103	116	137	56
GOREY	38	46	41	46
GORT	11	27	18	3
KENMARE	4	1	7	3
KILCOCK	19	19	44	13
KILKENNY	35	47	51	34
KILLALOE	5	6	4	3
KILLARNEY	39	29	33	11
KILLORGLIN	3	1
KILRUSH	6	5	8	3
LETTERKENNY	71	86	107	48
LIMERICK	116	164	144	65
LISMORE	4	10	4
LISTOWEL	19	13	22	13
LONGFORD	44	69	58	32
LOUGHREA	15	20	34	23
MACROOM	25	15	30	15
MALLOW	39	65	73	50
MANORHAMILTON	3		2
MEATH	92	133	126	67
MIDLETON	52	53	58	28
MONAGHAN	31	57	60	19
MULLINGAR	77	93	74	46
NA GLEANNTA	5	4	7	1
NAAS	64	78	151	58
NAVAN	21	1	1
NENAGH	34	46	60	26
NEWCASTLE WEST	28	41	43	12
PORTLAOISE	59	70	89	41
ROSCOMMON	19	10	13	11
SKIBBEREEN	7	3	10	4
SLIGO	33	39	58	17
STROKESTOWN	4	1	2	3
THURLES	30	35	52	26
TIPPERARY	14	15	19	11
TRALEE	57	49	85	35
TRIM	4
TUAM	13	31	26	9
TUBBERCURRY	5	3	9	4
TULLAMORE	57	61	69	29
VIRGINIA	25	41	35	7
WATERFORD CITY	43	60	87	28
WESTPORT	15	11	12	6
WEXFORD	70	72	67	47
WICKLOW	11	13	14	10
YOUGHAL	14	15	11	3
Total	2,920	3,488	3,911	1,808

Crime Data

Ceisteanna (317)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

317. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons arrested and convicted for speeding by age, gender, county and Garda district in each of the previous three years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23311/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

As the Deputy is aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions, and this includes the provision of information on the courts system.

I have requested information from the Courts Service and it advises that it cannot give statistics by gender or age and the number arrested is entirely a matter for An Garda Síochána as not all arrests lead to prosecutions. It can only provide the figures for convictions by District Court Area and these are set out in the following table.

Report by Court Area on the number of persons convicted of Speeding

Note: If a person was convicted in more than one court year in the same year, they will appear twice on the report

Court Area	No of Defendants convicted Jan - Dec 2016	No of Defendants convicted Jan - Dec 2017	No of Defendants convicted Jan - Dec 2018	No of Defendants convicted Jan - Jul 2019
AN CLOCHAN LIATH	6	4
AN FAL CARRACH			1
ARDEE	77	51	20	13
ARKLOW	13	14	31	9
ATHLONE	92	36	27	19
ATHY	26	44	20	13
BALLAGHADERREEN	2	4	5	1
BALLINA	12	11	47	6
BALLINASLOE	42	60		25
BALLYSHANNON	20	34	9	6
BANDON	31	37	8	13
BANTRY	3	10	4
BRAY	120	82	50	19
BUNCRANA	3	6	13	6
CARLOW	41	53	35	24
CARNDONAGH	17	16	2	3
CARRICK ON SHANNON	26	20	9	7
CARRICK ON SUIR	7	15	6	5
CARRICKMACROSS	39	71	47	19
CASHEL	43	45	34	21
CASTLEBAR	29	38	16	6
CASTLEREA	3	7	8	2
CAVAN	133	65	27	15
CLIFDEN		1	1	1
CLONAKILTY	2	9	5	1
CLONMEL	31	23	7	6
CORK CITY	292	352	153	78
DOIRE AN FHEICH	35	24	1	3
DONEGAL	12	35	9	3
DROGHEDA	66	110	46	15
DUBLIN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT	1,890	2,193	1,282	281
DUNDALK	109	58	28	27
DUNGARVAN	63	42	48	25
ENNIS	139	166	118	35
FERMOY	87	74	50	19
GALWAY	266	151	74	28
GOREY	145	150	70	40
GORT	14	7	2
KILCOCK	78	91	62	39
KILKENNY	244	154	73	53
KILLALOE	13	15	10	2
KILLARNEY	56	51	18	19
KILRUSH	10	12	2
LETTERKENNY	70	73	73	26
LIMERICK	303	259	241	119
LISMORE	14	2	5	2
LISTOWEL	25	27	17	4
LONGFORD	54	48	51	25
LOUGHREA	58	62	28	12
MACROOM	40	41	38	11
MALLOW	92	75	26	13
MANORHAMILTON		1
MEATH	114	79	48	22
MIDLETON	77	47	14	21
MONAGHAN	43	45	26	20
MULLINGAR	114	63	67	17
NAAS	489	466	336	89
NAVAN	40
NENAGH	94	62	48	14
NEWCASTLE WEST	209	119	109	67
PORTLAOISE	89	106	148	39
ROSCOMMON	20	37	9	6
SKIBBEREEN		3
SLIGO	79	79	47	19
STROKESTOWN	8	11	7	2
THURLES	62	40	16	5
TIPPERARY	10	6	4	2
TRALEE	15	28	22	22
TRIM	4
TUAM	35	50	30	8
TUBBERCURRY	12	11	8	1
TULLAMORE	57	37	40	7
VIRGINIA	36	38	32	5
WATERFORD CITY	99	63	66	49
WEXFORD	120	155	131	55
WICKLOW	82	48	68	40
YOUGHAL	10	9	4	3
Total	6,911	6,631	4,237	1,632

Refugee Data

Ceisteanna (318, 319)

Gino Kenny

Ceist:

318. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of asylum seekers and refugees here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23354/19]

Gino Kenny

Ceist:

319. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an age profile breakdown of asylum seekers and refugees here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23355/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 319 together.

It is not possible to provide the data requested in respect of the categories of persons requested by the Deputy principally because not every applicant or person granted refugee status chooses to remain in the State either during their application process or subsequent to a grant of refugee status.  For example, some applicants may leave the State without notifying me and not continue with their application. Others may decide not to cooperate with the process (such as not returning their application questionnaires to the International Protection Office (IPO)) and therefore it is difficult to ascertain if they continue to reside in the State.  Some applicants may formally withdraw their international protection application and either leave the State or else reside in the State under a different immigration permission type. Therefore, because an individual has applied for asylum and their application has yet to be finalised, this is not determinative of the number of international protection applicants actually residing in the State at any given time.

Notwithstanding, and to give some context to the number of asylum seekers and refugees that have applied for an international protection status, I can inform the Deputy that as of end May 2019 there are some 8,116 persons who have made an international protection application or refugee status application whose application is ongoing.  Many of these are under active consideration either at first instance or appeal while others maybe the subject of judicial review, etc.  Included in this number are approximately 1,200 protection applicants who are considered not to be cooperating, for example, not having returned their international protection questionnaire or provided a valid address.

With regard to persons granted refugee status, I can inform the Deputy that a total of 5,449 persons have received an international protection declaration (refugee status or subsidiary protection status) since 2008 to the end of May 2019. In addition, a total of 1,307 programme refugees have arrived in the State under the UNHCR-led Refugee Resettlement strand of the IRPP (Irish Refugee Protection Programme), making a total of 6,756 persons who have been issued either a refugee or subsidiary protection status in the State during the period.  It is not possible to say how many of those granted status are currently in the State.  For example, some may have left the State voluntarily and it is expected that a significant number have gone on to become naturalised Irish citizens or have attained an alternative immigration permission. 

With regards to the age profile of those seeking international protection, for the reasons outlined, it is not possible to provide such figures for those resident in the State.  However, the following tables provide a breakdown of those currently at first instance stage (which is considered representative of the wider population) together with a breakdown of persons granted refugee status or subsidiary protection status for the period requested by the Deputy.  

Table 1: Age breakdown – Asylum/International Protection Cases Pending in the International Protection Office for first instance recommendation decision on 31/05/2019

Age    Profile	Total
Minors (0-17 years)	1,103
Adults (18 and upwards)	4,626
Total	5729

Table 2: Age breakdown – Persons granted a protection status (refugee or subsidiary protection status) since 2008.

Age Profile	Total
Age Profile	Total
Minors (0-17 years)	2,305
Adults (18 and upwards)	4,451
Total	6,756