Written Answers Nos. 462-482
462. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice the number of inspections carried out by gardaí within the Tipperary division on pubs, clubs, nightclubs and so on to ensure full compliance with alcohol licensing legislation in 2021 and to-date in 2022; the percentage of premises that were in breach of the legislation; and the frequency with which inspections are carried out. [60397/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including liquor licensing inspections. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that in 2021 there were 1,774 inspections of licensed premises carried out in Tipperary Division, as reported by the Divisional Officer. Of these 1,774 inspections, four premises were found to be in breach of the legislation which amounts to a 0.22% detection rate.
I am further informed that in 2022, to date, there were 1,112 inspections of licensed premises carried out in Tipperary Division. Of these 1,112 inspections, six premises were found to be in breach of the legislation which amounts to a 0.53% detection rate.
I am advised that inspections are generally carried out on a daily basis in Tipperary Division and are completed on a District basis.
463. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice the number of new vehicles that have been assigned to Garda armed support units in 2021 and to-date in 2022; and the number of those vehicles that were withdrawn from the Garda armed support unit during same period. [60398/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.
I am advised, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review to ensure their optimum use in light of identified operational needs and emerging crime trends.
Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which €10m has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that it is not the current policy of An Garda Síochána to release the figures in respect of the Armed Support Unit due to the impact on operational effectiveness and security. I am assured that there are currently sufficient resources available to the Armed Support Unit.
464. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost in 2023 if 175 new recruit prison officers were recruited into the Irish Prison Service. [60399/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the estimated full year cost of employing 175 new Recruit Prison Officers, as per the most recent PPC pay scales of 1 October 2022, would be:
|
Grade |
Scale Point |
Number of Recruit Prison Officer’s |
|
RECRUIT PRISON OFFICER - PPC |
1 |
175 |
|
Salary |
€32,777.00 |
€5,735,975.00 |
|
Operational |
€2,622.16 |
€458,878.00 |
|
Additional Allowances |
€14,159.66 |
€2,477,941.20 |
|
ER PRSI |
€5,476.25 |
€958,343.76 |
|
Total |
€55,035.07 |
€9,631,137.96 |
These pay costs reflect salary and other allowances such as Operational Allowance (8% of annual salary). They also reflect other premium payments and the allocation of up to 360 additional hours as provided for in the Proposal for Organisational Change. Employers PRSI of 11% on total earnings is factored into the overall pay cost of the 175 posts. Please note that the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.
As is the case with the recruitment of new staff members to an organisation, in addition to the above salary costings, there are a number of ancillary non pay costs associated with the recruitment of a single Recruit Prison Officer, such as:
|
Training (Completion of Higher Certificate in Custodial Care) |
€4,188.00 |
|
Provision of Uniform |
€642.03 |
|
Food and accommodation for duration of training period |
€1,860.00 |
|
Total current cost per Recruit Prison Officer |
€6,690.03 |
The recruitment of RPO’s by the IPS has been ongoing since 2017, and has regard to such factors as service needs and exit levels from the organisation.
I can advise the Deputy that 133 RPO’s were recruited in 2021, and to date in 2022, 119 Recruit Prison Officers have been recruited. It is envisaged that a further 10 will be recruited before the end of 2022.
Furthermore I can confirm that the Irish Prison Service has been allocated additional funding in the 2023 Estimates for the recruitment of circa 100 additional staff. The Irish Prison Service has indicated that it intends to recruit up to 280 staff next year in total including replacement staff for retirements etc. Arrangements for the recruitment of same are being progressed.
465. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice if she will assist a person (details supplied) to retrieve certificates that were surrendered to the International Protection Office and International Protection Accommodation Services when they were interviewed on arrival into the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60407/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, for reasons of maintaining full confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State. An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate if they wish to receive an update on the status of their case.
The International Protection Office may be contacted: by email to info@ipo.gov.ie; by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 or in writing to Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.
The International Protection Appeals Tribunal may be contacted either: by email to info@protectionappeals.ie; by telephone at 01-4748400 (or Lo-Call 1890 201 458), or in writing to Corporate Services Division, The International Protection Appeals Tribunal, 6-7 Hanover Street East, Dublin D02 W320.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to 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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
466. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons that have arrived in Ireland seeking asylum without the necessary travel documents such as a passport each year for the past ten years; the process when this occurs; and the number of asylum seekers that the State has repatriated as a result of not having the necessary travel documents. [60422/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn international protection applicant is someone who has left their country and seeks protection in another country. Seeking protection is a human right and when someone asks for protection at the border of a country, that country’s authorities must examine that application. Ireland, as a party to the Geneva Convention, must also meet this obligation.
Immigration officials conduct passport checks on arrival to ensure passengers are properly documented in accordance with Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004. If a person indicates or is identified as being in need of international protection, they are admitted to the international protection process.
The International Protection Office (IPO) of my Department is responsible for examining all international protection applications received. The staff of the IPO are independent by law in the exercise of their international protection functions.
I can assure the Deputy that the establishment of an applicant’s identity and nationality is an important feature of every immigration process and this is especially so in the context of persons who enter the Irish State for the purposes of making a claim for international protection. Each application for international protection is examined in detail on its individual merits, taking all factors into account.
As recently advised to the Deputy, the IPO does not collate statistics relating to applications for international protection based on whether such applicants were refused leave to land or whether a person had valid documentation upon arrival at a port of entry.
However, to be helpful to the Deputy, I have sought information from the Border Management Unit of my Department on the number of persons that have arrived at Dublin Airport seeking asylum without the necessary travel documents.
|
Year |
Number of Undocumented Arrivals Dublin Airport |
|
Q4 - 2020* |
712 |
|
2021 |
2,082 |
|
2022 (up until 31/10/2022) |
4,128 |
*Data for previous years in not available. Data recording was modified during 2020 to distinguish the cohort of arrivals arriving undocumented from the total number refused leave to land.
The Border Management unit also advise that in the first 11 months of 2022 out of a total of 6,921 people refused leave to land, 6,080 people indicated an intention to claim asylum. It is important to note that this figure includes those in possession of valid documentation. Again, figures are currently available only for Dublin Airport.
Figures are not maintained by my Department broken down by whether an unsuccessful applicant for international protection had a valid passport or other travel documentation upon arrival in the State.
467. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who have been recruited to An Garda Síochána through the Gaeilge stream during the most recent recruitment campaign. [60589/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the management and administration of Garda business, which includes the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. As Minister I have no direct role in such matters.
I can however assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with over €2.14 billion allocated to the Garda Vote in Budget 2023.
As the Deputy will also be aware a new Garda recruitment competition was advertised in February 2022. I am pleased to say that over 11,000 expressed an interest in joining An Garda Síochána and that approximately 5,000 participated in the first round of tests. Interviews are currently taking place in rolling batches.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Public Appointments Service (PAS) has to date advised An Garda Síochána of 24 Irish Stream applicants who have been successful at the initial stages of the competition.
I am also informed that those applicants are now at various stages of the An Garda Síochána selection elements which comprise the Physical Competency Test, Medical and Vetting.
It is anticipated that there will be additional Irish Steam candidates advised to An Garda Síochána on an ongoing basis as the recruitment campaign continues.
469. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide an update from the Courts Service on the progress of the e-probate project under the Courts Modernisation Programme. [60633/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraManagement of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution. The Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas at: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie.
Probate is an operational matter for the Courts Service. Therefore, I have referred your question to the Courts Service for their direct reply.
470. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice if her Department will undertake a comprehensive review of economic crime, financial fraud and scamming given the increased prevalence of economic crime arising online and through digital technology, and its growing threat to consumers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47355/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy may be aware that an all-of-Government implementation plan to progress the recommendations in the Hamilton Review into Economic Crime was published last year. This sets out 22 actions to enhance enforcement and prevention capacity in this area.
Five actions have already been completed in full, and a number of others have been significantly advanced. For example:
- the Criminal Procedure Bill has been enacted,
- the Judicial Council has been engaged with in relation to the development of judicial training on complex economic crime/corruption cases,
- the Advisory Council against Economic Crime and Corruption was established this summer, chaired by a former Director of Public Prosecutions;
- a Forum of senior representatives from the relevant operational bodies was established in June 2021, and
- the Competition Amendment Act was signed into law on 29 June of this year.
There has also been significant progress to implement other recommendations of the Review, such as greater powers for investigating agencies to tackle economic crime and corruption. There is ongoing work to amend relevant legislation around search warrants. This will allow Gardaí to require subjects of arrest warrants to provide the passwords to their electronic devices. Progress has also been made on reform of the Ethics Acts and additional resourcing for enforcement agencies.
An Garda Síochána cooperates with INTERPOL and other partner law enforcement agencies to tackle this criminality. Recently Gardaí, in conjunction with INTERPOL and Law Enforcement Agencies across 13 countries on 4 Continents, carried out enforcement activity under Operation JACKAL.
Operation JACKAL, which is called Operation SKEIN in Ireland, is an investigation into an International Criminal Organisation which commit mainly Business Email Compromise and Romance Frauds worldwide and launder the proceeds through networks of bank accounts in countries including Ireland.
Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) personnel have attended and presented at co-ordination meetings with Interpol and led out a week of action in September 2022. This week of action resulted in seventy-five (75) arrests worldwide (34 of these were in Ireland), fifty eight (58) searches being conducted (9 were in Ireland) and €1.2 million frozen in bank accounts worldwide. Further periods of action are planned in 2023.
Every person in Ireland deserves to feel safe and to be safe when they conduct their personal business online or over the phone, and so the practice of trying to trick people out of their personal information or hard-earned money will not be tolerated.
I urge anyone conducting sensitive or personal business online or over the phone to be very cautious when providing personal or banking information. Many of the financial institutions have excellent advice for customers on how to be safe online, as does the Citizens’ Information website.
Combatting and preventing fraud and related cybercrime falls under the remit of several Departments and agencies. I can assure the Deputy that there is close cooperation across the whole of Government on this issue.
The Deputy may be aware that October was European Cyber Security Month. This initiative aims to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats and to promote cybersecurity awareness and prevention, as this is by far the most effective way to combat this crime, which often preys on the vulnerable.
The focus of this year's campaign was on informing the public, in particular the elderly, on how to avoid becoming a victim of email phishing, how to spot the tell-tale signs of these types of emails and what to do if a person has fallen victim to an e-mail phishing attack.
Phishing emails, used by attackers to lure people into disclosing personal details or clicking on malicious links, are used by cyber-criminals to gain unauthorised access to a computer or network. Hackers continue to design smarter and more sophisticated phishing emails, in the hope of gaining people’s trust and pressuring them into acting without thinking.
I can assure the Deputy that these crimes are not taken lightly by this Government, or by Gardaí, and I reiterate our commitment to tackling this form of crime, which particularly targets the vulnerable.
If anyone suspects that they have been the victim of a cyber crime or fraud, I would encourage them to contact Gardaí to report this at the earliest possible time. I assure people that members of An Garda Síochána will be best placed to advise them.
471. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Justice if she will review the area of politically-exposed persons, as set out in the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55647/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraInternational standards in respect of anti-money laundering are set and monitored by the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF). FATF is an inter-governmental body with 39 members, including Ireland, and a large number of observers and associate members. Over 200 countries commit to implementing their standards.
As the Deputy will be aware, EU standards generally reflect those of FATF and are currently set out in the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive from 2015, as updated by the Fifth AML Directive in 2018. Ireland is bound by these Directives and has transposed them through the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, as amended.
Under the Directive, designated persons, including financial institutions, are obliged to conduct ongoing monitoring of their business relationships using a risk-based approach. Part of this risk based approach is an obligation to apply enhanced customer due diligence to those entrusted with prominent public functions (politically exposed persons – PEPs).
The definition of ‘politically exposed person’ in the Directive specifies several categories of PEP – including, for example, heads of state, members of parliament, members of the governing bodies of political parties, supreme court judges, ambassadors and others. The categories stated must be included. Other persons may also be considered a PEP on the basis of them holding a prominent public function.
Relevant entities (e.g. financial institutions) are obliged to:
(a) have in place appropriate procedures to determine whether the customer or the beneficial owner of the customer is a PEP;
(b) apply enhanced due diligence to business relationships with PEPs, including:
(i) obtaining senior management approval for establishing or continuing business relationships;
(ii) taking adequate measures to establish the source of wealth and source of funds that are involved in business relationships or transactions;
(iii) conducting enhanced ongoing monitoring of those business relationships.
These measures also apply to family members or persons known to be close associates of politically exposed persons.
The Central Bank of Ireland publishes guidance for financial institutions in respect of PEPs. This guidance is available on the CBI’s website.
473. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice if she will expand the responsibility of the role of Peace Commissioner and grant permission to sign and witness affidavits for social housing applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60703/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, Peace Commissioners are appointed by the Minister for Justice under section 88 of the Courts of Justice Act 1924. A Peace Commissioner is an honorary appointment and those appointed do not require particular training or qualifications and receive no remuneration or compensation by way of fees or expenses for their services.
The current powers and duties of Peace Commissioners consist primarily of:
- Taking statutory declarations
- Witnessing signatures on documents if required by various authorities
- Signing certificates and orders under various Acts
The Courts of Justice Act 1924 also gives Peace Commissioners the power to issue summonses and warrants but these powers are now rarely used.
The Deputy will be aware that the Minister for Justice has no role in relation to social housing applications. I have however been informed by the relevant Department, the Department of Housing. Local Government and Heritage, that the social housing application form does not, in general, need to be witnessed by a third party.
I am further advised by that Department, that a signed affidavit or letter is required in circumstances where there is no separation or divorce agreement in place.
In these circumstances the affidavit or letter should confirm there is no formal separation agreement and no court proceedings pending under family law legislation, as well as the position regarding maintenance payments, overnight access and custody arrangements for children, and property ownership.
This requirement has been in place since the Social Housing Assessment Regulations were introduced in 2011, which standardised the assessment process, and I understand that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has no plans to change this requirement at this time.
Peace Commissioners provide an important service to communities, including in relation to witnessing statutory declarations, but I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that it is for the Minister for Housing to decide if those services are appropriate for the different documentation that may be required in support of a social housing application.
474. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice the average waiting times for decisions for paper and digital visa applications by type in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60704/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra475. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice the number of paper and digital visa applications of each type that have been processed to date in 2022, by month in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60705/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra476. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice the number of paper and digital visa applications of each type that have been received to date in 2022, by month in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60706/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 474 to 476, inclusive, together.
The information requested by the Deputy is not maintained by my Department in the manner requested. However, I can advise that there is no difference in the way a visa application is processed or treated once it has been submitted. In the Dublin Visa Office, for example, applications are divided into separate queues according to the visa type. All applications in a particular category go in the same queue for processing, regardless of the method used to submit the application.
More generally, all visa applications must be made using our on-line facility (link provided) www.visas.inis.gov.ie/avats/OnlineHome2.aspx
Upon creating an online visa application, the summary sheet must be printed and signed by the applicant and then submitted to the relevant Visa Office/Embassy/Visa Application Centre, along with supporting documentation and the relevant fee, within 30 days. Only upon receipt of the necessary documentation and fee, can the visa application be processed.
477. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Justice if it is intended that Ireland would join the European Public Prosecution Office; if it is desirable that all EU Member States be subject to the same office and system of protection of European taxpayers’ money; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60714/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) was established under the EU's enhanced cooperation mechanism to investigate and prosecute crimes against the financial interest of the European Union.
These crimes are as set out in Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the fight against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law, otherwise known as the PIF Directive.
Ireland has transposed the PIF Directive and the full suite of measures to investigate and prosecute PIF offences are available to Irish authorities under our domestic structures.
While Ireland did not participate in the enhanced cooperation measure that established the EPPO and is, consequently, not bound by it, we do recognise the important work it undertakes and we are fully committed to cooperating with the EPPO to the greatest extent possible.
To that end, we are examining the legislative changes that would be required to our mutual legal assistance regime to allow for requests to be received directly from the EPPO and actioned. Legislative proposals in this regard will be brought forward imminently.
In addition to this work, an Inter-Agency Working Group is being established to identify and consider all of the issues involved were Ireland to seek to join the EPPO.
478. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice the actions her that her Department has taken to address the issues outlined in the formal notice of infringement procedures (INFR(2019) 2235 in relation to Ireland’s failure to properly transpose Directive 2011/93/EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60720/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 15th July this year, the EU Commission issued a Letter of Formal Notice of infringement proceedings citing Ireland’s failure to properly transpose three articles of European Directive 2011/93 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. A response issued to the Letter of Formal Notice on 15th September, setting out in detail the manner in which the requirements of the Directive, raised in the Letter of Formal Notice, are already met in Irish law and outlining developments under way that will further strengthen the existing provisions.
Officials in my Department are in regular communication with the relevant officials in the Commission in respect of this and are liaising closely with them to provide updates on legislative developments.
479. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice if her Department has reservations regarding the scope of data collection associated with the provisions contained in the EU proposed CSA Regulation 2022/0155 CSAR; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60721/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe proposal for a Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse (2022/0155) was published on 11 May 2022. This proposal follows from the July 2020 EU strategy for a More Effective Fight Against Child Sexual Abuse, which set out a comprehensive response to the growing threat of child sexual abuse both offline and online, by improving prevention, investigation and assistance to victims. The proposal builds on the Digital Services Act, which lays down horizontal rules in relation to illegal content, and complements it with provisions to address the specific challenges posed by child sexual abuse material online.
The proposed new rules will oblige service providers to take measures to reduce the scope for misuse of their services for the purposes of child sexual abuse. It will also establish a new EU Centre on Child Sexual Abuse which is intended to facilitate the efforts of service providers and national authorities, including by receiving reports of child sexual abuse material from service providers and forwarding these to the relevant Member State for law enforcement action.
Article 83 of the current draft proposal deals with various obligations it is proposed to place on service providers, Coordinating Authorities and the EU Centre in respect of data collection. My Department continues to examine all aspects of the proposal, including those where there is scope for a disproportionate administrative burden to be placed on national authorities. At this early stage, however, no objection in principle to has been made to these provisions.
Overall, the Government welcomes this proposal to take action to prevent and combat child sexual abuse on an EU basis, particularly in light of the intrinsic cross-border nature of online services. It is clear, given the seriousness and scale of this type of criminality, that a more robust approach is merited, including a move from voluntary reporting of child sexual abuse material to an obligatory approach.
We recognise, however, that there is a balance to be achieved between the fundamental objective of protecting child victims from abuse on the one hand and of privacy and confidential communications on the other. That is likely to be a major focus of the negotiations, which are of course still at an early stage. As the proposal stands, the issuance of a detection order to a service provider, which would compel that company to detect and report child sexual abuse material and/or attempts to groom children, requires an assessment of these competing fundamental rights by the relevant Member State’s national authorities, taking into account the capabilities of the technological detection means available, and, ultimately, approval by a court or court-like body.
Ireland will continue to fully engage with fellow Member States, the European Commission and Parliament, and other stakeholders on this proposal, with a view to putting in place a new set of rules that makes a real difference to tackling child sexual abuse, while also respecting the fundamental rights of individual users of the services being regulated.
480. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the procedure to be followed to update stamp 3 to stamp 4 in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60751/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has a stamp 3 immigration permission to remain in the State until 16 July 2025.
Stamp 3 indicates that the holder has an immigration permission to stay in Ireland for a specified period, subject to conditions, and is reckonable as residence when applying for citizenship by naturalisation.
As the person concerned is a minor, they and their parent may contact their local immigration office to request a change of permission. Details are available on the Immigration Services website at www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/.
Information on the contact details for all the registration offices outside Dublin is available at: www.garda.ie/en/contact-us/station-directory.
Please see the below link on my Department's website which may be of further assistance. www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-renew-your-current-permission/registration-renewal-outside-dublin/
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
481. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications for asylum in Ireland that have been refused for each of the past ten years in real numbers and as the percentage of the total number of applicants. [60762/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnfortunately it is not possible to provide the Deputy with the information requested regarding the number of refused applications as a percentage of all applications, as the IPO do not maintain statistics in this manner.
Decisions on international protection are made by the Ministerial Decisions Unit (MDU) of my Department. MDU processes the recommendations received from the International Protection Office (IPO) and the decisions of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT).
The International Protection Office (IPO) makes first instance recommendations in respect of international protection (refugee status and subsidiary protection) as well as decisions on permission to remain. Where an international protection applicant has been refused international protection, as part of a single procedure, a decision will be made on whether or not to grant the applicant permission to remain in the State. Therefore a proportion of persons listed in the tables below will have subsequently granted permission to remain in the State.
When considering the figures in Table 1 below on refusals it is important to note that the figures provided relate to the year in which the decision was made, which may not be the year in which the application was made. The data in the table is also based on application numbers and not applicant numbers, as an application may include more than one applicant.
The figures below include decisions refused under the Subsidiary Protection Regulation 2013 and 2006 and under both the Refugee Act 1996 (as amended) and the International Protection Act 2015.
Refusals of International Protection per year (by application) 2013 to end November 2022*
|
Year |
Total number of refusals of Refugee Status and Subsidiary Protection Status |
|
2013 |
770 |
|
2014 |
1,547 |
|
2015 |
2,244 |
|
2016 |
2,070 |
|
2017 |
408 |
|
2018 |
551 |
|
2019 |
1,745 |
|
2020 |
951 |
|
2021 |
981 |
|
2022 |
3,530 |
|
Total |
14,797 |
*Refusals that were quashed or overturned are only excluded if the decision to quash or overturn the refusal occurred within the same year as the original refusal for that application
Total Applicants for International Protection to the International Protection Office 2013- November 2022
|
Year |
Number of Applications |
|
2013 |
974 |
|
2014 |
1,856 |
|
2015 |
5,193 |
|
2016 |
4,249 |
|
2017 |
2,920 |
|
2018 |
3,674 |
|
2019 |
4,780 |
|
2020 |
1,566 |
|
2021 |
2,648 |
|
2022 |
12,453 |
|
Total |
40,313 |
482. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide a list of the categories of public sector workers and civil servants under her Department whose contracts fall under the Croke Park Agreement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60772/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Croke Park Agreement encompassed all civil and public servants in my Department. No distinction was made between categories of civil servants under the Agreement.
