Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the annual budget for the Refugee Appeals Tribunal; the number of permanent and temporary members of the tribunal; the individual remunerations of same; and the number of staff employed by the tribunal. [3710/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the annual budget for the Office of the Refugee Appeals Commissioner and the individual remuneration of the Refugee Appeals Commissioner. [3711/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 165 together.

The 2006 budget allocations in so far as non-pay is concerned for the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, RAT, and the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, ORAC, are €2,563,400 and €2,719,740, respectively. The budget allocations for the RAT and the ORAC form part of subhead D1 of my Department which funds the asylum, immigration and repatriation areas generally. The allocations for ORAC and RAT for 2006 will be kept under ongoing review to ensure adequate resources are available to enable them to undertake their important work in the asylum determination process.

The remuneration pay scales of both the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the chairperson of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal are equivalent to that for assistant secretary in the Civil Service, that is, €110,312 to €126,325.

There are currently 33 serving members in the Refugee Appeals Tribunal and one full-time chairperson. In accordance with the Second Schedule to the Refugee Act 1996, as amended, each member of the tribunal "shall be a part-time member". Remuneration in respect of RAT members is paid in accordance with the following fee structure per case completed: substantive cases, with oral hearing, €575; substantive cases, determined on the basis of the file, €300; accelerated appeals on papers, determined on the basis of the file, €300; Dublin regulation cases, determined on the basis of the file, €200; and cases where the case is withdrawn or the applicant fails to show, €165.

There are currently 122 staff employed in the RAT, which is equivalent to 110 full-time posts.