Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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103. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress to date in the determination of an application for asylum in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21576/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, following the commencement of the International Protection Act 2015 on 31 December 2016, new arrangements for the investigation and determination of applications for international protection (refugee status and subsidiary protection) and cases involving permission to remain in the State have been introduced. Such applications are being processed, as part of a single application procedure, by the new International Protection Office (IPO) which has replaced the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) from that date. The staff of the International Protection Office (the Chief International Protection Officer and International Protection Officers) are independent in the performance of their protection functions.

If an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State, for confidentiality reasons it is not the practice to comment on such applications and the applicant should contact the International Protection Office directly either by email to info@ipo.gov.ie, by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 or in writing to the Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

For your information, on 27 February 2017 the Chief International Protection Officer, following consultation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published a statement on the Prioritisation of Applications for International Protection under the International Protection Act 2015. The IPO statement in relation to the prioritisation of applications is available on their website (www.ipo.gov.ie).