Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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15. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her response to the low level of refugee applications to the State under the European Union's relocation plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2998/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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This programme, which was agreed at European level in September 2015, provides for the transfer of 160,000 persons in clear need of international protection from Italy and Greece to other Member States where their applications for protection will be examined. The programme provides for the relocation of persons on a phased basis over a two year period.

Overall only a small percentage of persons have been relocated so far, which is fair to say has not progressed as fast as Member States had hoped. This is however the first time that the EU has embarked on a large-scale programme of this nature and therefore it is somewhat understandable, considering the significant logistical arrangements that needed to be put in place, that it would take time to get the programme properly up and running. There has been particular challenges with the establishment of 'hotspots' in Greece and Italy and the setting up of the relocation programmes in these countries. It is intended to establish a total of eleven hotspots (six in Italy and five in Greece) to enable Frontex, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Europol to work on the ground with frontline Member States to identify, register and fingerprint migrants and to process applicants for relocation. Currently only two hotspots are operational in Italy while one is operational in Greece. I expect that when all the necessary arrangements are put in place we will see a swift acceleration in the numbers being relocated.

In response to the request from the Commission for Member States to respond quickly to the call for national experts to support the work of the 'hotspots', Ireland has appointed Liaison Officers to Italy and Greece and has also nominated two Irish experts to the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) to be deployed to the 'hotspot' in Greece. Their role will be to identify potential candidates for relocation, provide relevant information about the relocation procedure and refer all interested candidates to the regional Asylum Service. The first ten persons from Syria to be relocated to Ireland arrived on Friday 22 January from Greece. In addition we have indicated that we have twenty places immediately available for relocation from Italy.

The migration crisis is a highly challenging issue and has been central to discussions at EU level over the past year and this is expected to continue in the year ahead also. I will continue to work closely with my EU colleagues as part of the response to this humanitarian crisis.