Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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120. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the implementation of the International Protection Act 2015; the number of sections that have commenced; the number yet to commence and the key objectives of these as yet uncommenced provisions; when she expects the Act to be fully operational; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35771/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Since the International Protection Act was enacted detailed work has been taking place in my Department to prepare for the commencement of the principal provision in the Act - the introduction of the single application procedure for international protection. This will replace the current sequential processing system and is the single biggest reform in this area for the past twenty years. All applications for international protection from January will be processed under the new single applications procedure.

Preparations for commencement extend across a wide number of areas including secondary legislation, detailed process design for the new procedure, changes to information technology systems and transitional arrangements. Overall it is intended to commence seventy eight sections of the Act that give legal effect to the new procedures.

Earlier this year I commenced three separate stand-alone provisions relating to immigration and deportation.