Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 250: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of asylum applicants who made an application for judicial review in 2008; the number of such applicants who are making their second or subsequent application for judicial review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8539/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, applications for refugee status in the State are determined by an independent process comprising the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT) which make recommendations to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on whether such status should be granted.

Statistics on the number of asylum applicants who applied for judicial review are not maintained in a way that would make it possible for either the ORAC or the RAT to indicate whether an applicant had previously or subsequently made an application for judicial review other than in respect of their own area of responsibility. Accordingly, the figures provided below relate to the number of applications for judicial review in 2008 in respect of the ORAC and the RAT individually.

The number of asylum applicants who made an application for judicial review in respect of decisions of the ORAC was 260, of which 33 were second or subsequent applications.

The number of asylum applicants who made an application for judicial review in respect of decisions of the RAT was 338, of which 55 were second or subsequent applications.

In the case of the Department, two asylum applicants made applications for judicial review against decisions of the Minister in respect of their asylum applications, one of which had previously made two applications for judicial review in respect of the RAT.