James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the important matter of the number of applications on hand for international protection, the average length of time to process applications and the steps being taken to reduce the processing time. My Department is taking all necessary steps to manage the international protection process fairly and efficiently, as part of the broader Government response to this challenging issue.

The number of international protection applications last year was 13,651, a significant increase on recent years. It represents a 186% increase on the number received in 2019, the most recent year in which application numbers were not impacted by Covid-19.

Last week, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, published a report on the international protection modernisation programme for 2023 and 2024. The report set out a suite of reform measures and signals a goal to reach 1,000 decisions per month on international protection applications by early next year. As part of this programme, a number of measures have been implemented to improve efficiencies and throughput, in tandem with reforms to the application, interview and decision-making process. We have already increased the number of applications processed by 97%, from 2,484 in 2021 to 4,899 in 2022. These reforms are having a significant impact. The median processing time for first-instance decisions in quarter 1 of 2023 was ten months, a reduction from 18 months over the course of 2022. The median processing times for appeals in quarter 1 of 2023 was slightly more than five months, down from 15 months at the beginning of 2022.

As part of this programme, an accelerated procedure for international protection applicants from safe countries of origin was introduced.

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Applicants from safe countries of origin now receive a first instance decision in less than three months, which is a significant reduction from a norm of 22 to 26 months early last year. These reforms are being supported with significantly increased resources. Approximately €19m was allocated in budget 2023 to the International Protection Office, IPO, and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal to scale up processing. This will be supported by investment in human resources, infrastructure, technology, and process engineering. As part of the modernisation programme I have put in place, these resources and the impact they are having is being closely monitored and will be adjusted and refined as necessary.

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