Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department and I are taking every necessary step to manage the international protection process as efficiently and effectively as we can while ensuring that the integrity of the process is maintained at all times. During 2023, the number of applications was 13,277. While this was a slight decrease of 3% on 2022, it still represented an increase of 177% on the number that was received pre Covid. The Deputy can appreciate that this was a significant increase to which to respond. Ensuring that applications are processed quickly means that those who need our protection are given that protection quickly and given the opportunity to rebuild and move on with their lives. It also means that those who do not qualify are told to return to their countries of origin as quickly as possible.

My Department has taken a significant number of measures to increase the capacity of the international protection system. I have introduced an accelerated procedure for applicants from designated safe countries of origin. These applicants now typically receive a first instance decision in less than three months, a significant reduction from the norm of 22 or 26 months that used to be the case. Up to 31 January, the number of applications from safe countries had reduced by more than 50% compared to the previous 12 months. The safe country process is working. Many of those using the international protection process have in fact been economic migrants. We need to send a strong message to people that there are other routes for them to take and that they should not be clogging up an important system.

Last July, I published a report on the international protection modernisation programme for 2023 and 2024. This programme involves unparalleled investment in staff, panel members, re-engineered processes, and technology. We have implemented measures to improve efficiencies and throughput as well as enhancing the application, interview and decision-making processes for all applicants.

One of the priority areas of focus has been to recruit civil servants and panel members in order to increase case processing. The office now has more than 400 staff, an increase of 95%, so the staff complement has almost doubled since last year. The IPO made 2,482 first instance determinations in 2021, 4,323 in 2022 and 9,000 in 2023. I am confident that we will deliver approximately 14,000 first instance decisions this year.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy's initial point. As a country, we have been and will continue to be extremely welcoming. All of us in this House should reject some of the commentary by and actions of certain individuals who want to send a different message. We need to ensure that we have a system that functions, that people get answers as quickly as possible and that those who do not have a right to be here are removed from the State or, in most instances and most effectively, are assisted to leave or to go back home. Many people are economic migrants do not want deportation orders. They do not want to have a mark on their ability to be able to study or work in or travel to other countries. We need to make sure our system works efficiently and effectively. By introducing a list of safe countries, we have introduced a system that enables us to tell people very quickly that they either have permission or they do not. From engaging with other countries, we have seen that the quicker people get a negative decision, the more likely they are to leave of their own accord. The safe country list is something I have no doubt we will revisit. The Deputy is right that there is not an overarching safe country list for Europe. It is up to each individual member state. As we develop the migration pact further, that is something which will be looked at and discussed, and there might be uniformity to how we apply it.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that this is on the agenda for all of the Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings that I attend. I will be at one again next week. I was at one only a couple of weeks ago. We have spent years debating and seeking to agree the new migration pact, which I am pleased to say has finally been agreed. The pact will allow an approach where we have a better, more transparent and more efficient system where we have better co-operation between member states. I am trying to make sure that if people have asylum in another country and come here, they are returned to that country of origin and that we have co-operation from member states for this to happen. The system we have at the moment, the Dublin regulation, as it is called, does not allow for that because member states do not really have to co-operate with each other. If we are to respond to a massive increase to people on the move globally and if we are to provide legal pathways for people because we have a shortage of workers here, we need to make sure we are looking at what we need and how we can apply our legal routes, but also, where we have illegal migration, we need to work collectively to try to respond and to put measures in place. There is a perception that Ireland is an easy touch in the context of its rules. If one looks at the number of people who are given asylum and whose applications are approved, however, one will see that it either matches or is below the EU average in this regard. The Deputy is right that people want to have facts. I will do what I can as Minister to make sure those facts are clear to people.