Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I spoke previously about the difficulties asylum seekers have faced since the commencement of the International Protection Act 2015. People requesting asylum must first outline their case in a lengthy document of some 60 pages, which they are required to return not later than 20 working days from the receipt of the international protection questionnaire, or IPO 2 form, and covering letter from the authorities. This 20-day deadline continues to be an insufficient period to answer fully all questions on the IPO 2 application form and avail of subsidised legal advice or associated language translation assistance.

As matters stand, many asylum seekers do not know how or where to get legal advice and such counsel is essential when completing such a significant document. The international protection office stated it will be flexible regarding this deadline, which it describes as administrative, and I have no doubt it means to be flexible. While this clarification is welcome, it is a temporary and informal approach which does not go far enough to allay anxiety among refugees fleeing persecution or those who face a real risk of suffering serious harm in other countries.

For this reason, I call on the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to consider extending the deadline to at least 25 working days to help all applicants. I urge the Minister to do this now to avoid further confusion and distress and ensure there are no unnecessary delays in processing applications in the new system. Anecdotally, I am hearing that legal services are under severe pressure, which is causing a major backlog. I heard, for example, that no applicants were interviewed in the international protection office last week because of this backlog. The State runs a risk of a court challenge being made to the current time limit for the return of the form because it is proving to be unworkable based on the anecdotal reports I am hearing about the backlog in the system and the difficulties asylum seekers and applicants face.

I ask the Minister not only to consider extending the deadline but also to review the length of the IPO 2 application form to assess whether it can be streamlined and made shorter. Delays in determining asylum cases mean individuals will spend more time in direct provision centres instead of being swiftly integrated into society as welcome migrants. Perhaps we can return to this issue during the rescheduled debate.

I note with concern allegations that appeared in a Sunday newspaper at the weekend claiming that residents at a direct provision centre in Mosney were paying higher than average prices for basic food items at an on-site store. I do not know if the claims are true but they are very serious and should be investigated by the Department.