Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. It is for the reason he has outlined and I have outlined, which is a significant increase in the number of international protection applicants, that a second centre has been opened. Almost 50% of applicants who would have been going to Mount Street are now going to Citywest. I believe it is a more appropriate location, particularly when women and children are being processed. The increase in staff means there are now 541 staff members, an increase of 155% in the past two years alone. This has resulted in 14,000 decisions being made this year. I am not just investing in people. We are investing in the systems and the way in which we are processing. More and more people are now going into accelerated processing. This means applications are being seen quicker which means it is more efficient, and this puts less pressure and stress on the environment, the building and the people working in it. We now have 15 countries of safe origin that are being accelerated. We now have applicants who have received protection elsewhere in this accelerated process. Citizens of Nigeria and Jordan, the countries which provide the highest number of applicants at present, have gone into this accelerated processing. Because of this we have seen in some instances a reduction in the number of people coming from these countries by approximately 70%. All of this will assist in the overall structures that are there. This is always kept under consideration.

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