Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

That is a lot to get through in one minute. The Deputy is correct, in that there has been a significant increase in the number of people coming to Ireland seeking international protection, particularly since the October-November period. That increase is reflected in the figures that I set out.

I will ask my Department to send the Deputy the specific figure for how many people have been in the system for more than four years. As he knows, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, has announced a scheme for regularisation, which is open to people who have been in the international protection process for a number of years. We reckon that approximately 2,800 of them will be able to apply.

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