Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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Question 312: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason the decisions archive of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal is only accessible by legal representatives and not academics and independent researchers despite the fact that such decisions are redacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19547/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Refugee Appeals Tribunal, which is a statutory independent body, operates an on-line system of access to previous decisions for applicants' legal representatives. I am informed by the Chairman of the Tribunal that the existing arrangements are designed to ensure that the confidentiality provisions of the Refugee Act 1996 are fully respected.

As the Deputy may be aware, I recently restored the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2010 to the Dáil Order Paper. I am currently considering a number of amendments to the Bill before commencing Committee Stage, and in that regard I intend to introduce an amendment to widen access to Tribunal decisions while at the same time ensuring that applicants can rely on their identities remaining confidential.