Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 January 2024
107. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice the reasons for the delays in processing asylum seeker applications; the average length of time it takes for an application to be fully processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4431/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department takes all necessary steps to manage the international protection process efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity of those processes is maintained at all times.
I am taking a number of steps to improve how our International Protection system works. In increasing capacity and speeding up decision making, we can ensure that those who have a right to international protection are given that status as quickly as possible, and those who are found not to have a right to international protection, or other basis for remaining, return to their country of origin.
In July of 2023, I published a report on the international protection modernisation programme for 2023 and 2024. This programme is implementing measures to improve efficiencies and throughput as well as enhancing the application, interview and decision-making process for applicants.
Over the course of the last year, the IPO increased the number of monthly determinations to over 1,000 in November 2023, and plans to deliver at least 14,000 decisions in 2024, a further increase of 5,000 cases.
In November 2022, I signed a regulation to introduce an accelerated procedure for international protection applicants from designated safe countries of origin. These applicants now typically receive a first instance decision in less than 10 weeks. The number of applications from safe countries has fallen by 38 % over the first 12 months of the operation of the accelerated procedure
Reforms to the international protection process will continue in 2024. Approximately €34m was allocated in budget 2024 to the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) to continue to scale up processing.
Already these reforms are having a significant impact with the median processing time for first-instance decisions reducing from 18 months in 2022 down to 13 months in 2023.
The median processing time for appeals was 5.5 months in 2023 down from 13.5 months at the start of 2022.
I have also recently announced further measure to expedite international protection application processing. This includes adding Botswana and Algeria to the safe country of origin list as well as introducing an expedited procedure for inadmissible applications by people who already have been granted protection in the EU. These are all other aspects of the international protection modernisation programme will continue to be kept under review and invested in.
