Mr. Michael Kirrane:

On the timescale currently taken to process cases, there are three different types of categories. The prioritised cases are processed much more quickly, within six to seven weeks for relocation and a matter of a short number of months for others who are in priority countries. I outlined at the outset the countries that are currently at the top of our list in terms of numbers. Their recognition rates are low. It takes time to process them and our aim is to quickly move away from that 19-month period. The intention is shortly, as the chief international protection officer will confirm, to schedule interviews down to 12 months for those normal cases in the system. The intention is to move as quickly as possible from 19 months down to nine months and our estimate is that it will be reached by the end of next year.

We have allocated significant resources to the International Protection Office. It has a total of 138 staff and 55 panel members. The intention is to recruit more staff into that office and to update the numbers of people on the panel. That will be done in the autumn of this year. The intention is to get down as quickly as possible to the processing of first instance decisions within nine months.

In respect of victims of human trafficking, we work closely with the Garda on any case that is identified as involving a potential victim of human trafficking. That includes a period of reflection, and an immigration permission is automatically granted to people during that period. It is not the intention for anybody claiming asylum that it would in some way cut across their case being considered under human trafficking. That would not be the case under any circumstances and I am not aware of any incidents where that would be the case. The two processes run in parallel. I will ask my colleague, Mr. Merriman, to update the Deputy a little more on that as well as on family reunification and minors.