Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
607. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the progress made in addressing the recommendation in the report of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process to clear the backlog of current cases and that a one-off case-processing approach should be introduced for all applications that have been more than two years in the system. [11784/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is fully committed to implementing the key recommendations in the Expert Advisory Group Report to reduce processing times of both first instance decisions and appeals to 6 months respectively, as outlined in the White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Protection Support Service.
The White Paper proposes that the new system should be operational by 2024 and that the intervening period should provide an opportunity to progress improvements in the overall processing times for international protection.
An end-to-end review of relevant international protection processes by a multi-disciplinary team from my Department, has now been completed and published. Over the last number of months, my Department has implemented measures to assist in meeting its overall objectives in this regard and improve on efficiencies and case throughput.
As I announced recently, the Government's Regularisation of Long-Term Undocumented Migrants Scheme will include a parallel process to implement the recommendation included in the Report of the Expert Advisory Group. Applicants who have an outstanding international protection application and have been in the asylum process for a minimum of two years can now apply for consideration under a separate strand of the Scheme. My Department has recently written to approximately 4,000 potentially eligible applicants inviting them to apply under the Scheme.
This strand opened for applications on 7 February 2022. Applications will be accepted for six months until 7 August 2022, when the strand will close. The International Protection Office (IPO) of my Department has begun contacting potentially eligible applications with further details, though all persons who feel they meet the stated criteria may apply.
Application forms can be downloaded from the IPO’s website at: www.ipo.gov.ie/en/ipo/pages/whatsnew and they must be submitted by email to IPRSU@ipo.gov.ie. There is no fee for making an application under this dedicated strand of the scheme.
Further details regarding the qualifying criteria, the required documentation, and how to apply for the international protection strand are available on the IPO’s website at www.ipo.gov.ie/en/ipo/pages/whatsnew.
Applications will be assessed independently of the application that has been made for international protection. There is no requirement for the applicant to withdraw their international protection application, although some may choose to do so, if successful under this scheme.
My Department will, by October 2022 at the latest, commence a review of progress made in reducing and improving processing times.
