Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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863. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if an application for asylum which was made in 2021 is being processed for a person (details supplied); when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27319/23]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As 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 international 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.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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864. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if asylum seekers can engage in third level programmes or apprenticeships if they have a permit to work but are waiting for their asylum application to be granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27320/23]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, overall responsibility for 3^rdlevel education in the State and for the operation of the apprenticeship system lies with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS).

In relation to my Department’s responsibility to provide labour market access to International Protection Applicants, I can confirm for the Deputy that an applicant may avail of vocational training as per Section 11 (11) (a) & (b) of the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018 – SI No. 30 of 2018.

As per section 11 (11) the Regulations an applicant who holds a labour market permission shall be entitled to avail of vocational training —

(a)subject to subparagraph (b), in the like manner and to the like extent in all respects as an Irish citizen,

(b)and (b) in the case of vocational training relating to an employment contract, to the extent to which the training relates to an occupation in which the applicant may, by virtue of the permission, be employed or self-employed.

Additionally, any international protection applicant can access third level education with the assistance of the International Protection Student Scheme while they await a final decision on their application. The DFHERIS has overall responsibility for the operation of the Scheme and the Scheme is administered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) on their behalf.

Further information on the Scheme can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/service/e786a-student-support-scheme-for-asylum-seekers/.

Further information on the apprenticeship system in Ireland can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/service/b9760-how-to-become-an-apprentice/.