Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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646. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will revise the continuation of direct provision for those seeking asylum here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31476/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have no plans to revise the continuation of the Direct Provision system. In October 2014 a Working Group to report on improvements to the protection system, including Direct Provision and supports for asylum seekers was established by myself and Minister of State Ó Ríordáin. The Working Group was chaired by former High Court Judge, Dr Brian McMahon, and its membership was drawn from a range of interests in the international protection area including, UNHCR, non-governmental organisations, protection applicants, academia and relevant Government Departments and Offices.

The Report identifies the excessive length of time in the protection system as the most significant issue facing those in Direct Provision. I am committed to tackling the lengthy delays in the protection system. A number of initiatives have already been taken to deal with the number of cases on hand including: the scheduling of interviews of applicants on Saturdays; the transfer of subsidiary protection application processing to the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner; the establishment of a legal panel to assist the Commissioner with this work; and the appointment of additional members to the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.

In addition, in March this year, following approval by Government, I published the General Scheme of the International Protection Bill which will provide for the introduction of a single applications procedure for international protection. This reform will simplify and streamline the existing arrangements and provide applicants with a final decision on their protection application in a more straightforward and timely fashion and will also, as a consequence, reduce the length of time applicants spend in the Direct Provision system. It is intended to have this Bill enacted by the end of the year.