Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

338. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 357 of 10 February 2015, the timeframe to assess an application for asylum or subsidiary protection; if this individual case is particularly different; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8083/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My response to Parliamentary Question No. 357 of 10 February, 2015 set out the Department's policy in relation to providing information on individual applications for asylum or subsidiary protection. As previously notified to the Deputy, responsibility for the processing of asylum and subsidiary protection applications rests with the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC).

The Commissioner has informed me that the median processing time for asylum applications is 21 weeks for cases determined to date in 2015. This is due to the substantial increase in asylum applications recorded in 2014 and to date in 2015.

As regards the processing of subsidiary protection applications generally the Deputy will be aware that responsibility for processing such applications transferred in November, 2013 to the Refugee Applications Commissioner under the European Union (Subsidiary Protection) Regulations 2013. The Commissioner announced in March 2014 that he is according priority to certain classes of applications for subsidiary protection. The legal basis for the prioritisation of applications is set out in the 2013 Regulations. Prioritisation relates solely to the scheduling of interviews and has no implications for any recommendation that might be made by the Commissioner. The classes of applications to be prioritised includes those cases longest in the system and those prioritised based on country of origin. The UNHCR as part of its mandate in relation to international protection has provided advice in relation to the prioritisation of applications.

The Deputy will also be aware that the time taken to process a protection application to finality can be prolonged by the lodging by applicants of appeals with the Refugee Appeals Tribunal against determinations made by ORAC or the taking of judicial review proceedings against decisions made at various stages of the protection determination process.