Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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161. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will report on the single procedure changes and provide a numerical breakdown of the different categories of persons being processed; her plans for fully implementing the single procedure; and if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the partial implementation of the plan is causing distress and confusion among persons. [24754/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The International Protection Act 2015 was commenced on 31 December 2016 wherein a new single procedure was introduced under which all aspects of a person's claim (asylum, subsidiary protection and permission to remain) are considered together by the International Protection Office (IPO) rather than sequentially as heretofore. The processing of applications under the single procedure and the 2015 Act has already begun and is being fully implemented. In this regard, the interviewing of applicants commenced at the end of January 2017 in respect of cases relocated to the State from Greece under the EU Relocation Programme and in March 2017 for all other cases. The issuing of recommendations commenced in February 2017 and a large number of additional interviews are being scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

In relation to applications for refugee status and subsidiary protection that were made before the commencement date and were not finalised for processing by the ORAC and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT), transitional arrangements apply, which are set out in the legislation. A carefully planned and comprehensive process has been put in place by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) and the IPO to ensure that protection applicants and their legal representatives are fully aware of the Act's provisions, including transitional provisions, and how they will impact on them individually:

- Correspondence was issued by the IPO to approximately 3,000 applicants to inform them of the commencement of the relevant provisions of the 2015 Act and how the transitional arrangements would affect their applications;

- Applicants were also provided with an Information Note - Transitional Arrangements (IPO 12);

- Application for International Protection Information Booklet (IPO 1); and an

- Application for International Protection Questionnaire (IPO 2).

The information material is made available in some 17 languages, including English, as is the information booklet. Legal representatives on record were also contacted by the IPO about the new single procedure. A Customer Service Centre established by the International Protection Office may be contacted by individuals with any queries at info@ipo.gov.ie.

I am also informed by the Chief International Protection Officer that the IPO held a number of meetings with NGOs working with asylum seekers who are members of the IPO Customer Service Liaison Panel, prior to commencement and post commencement, to brief them on the arrangements for the commencement of the Act and for the notification of applicants in relation to the transitional provisions and also to clarify how these will be operated in practice.

A series of nationwide information seminars are also being held and attended by INIS and IPO staff to inform applicants in the Direct Provision centres of the changes brought about by the introduction of the 2015 Act and to deal with any queries they may have. Staff from the IPO have already attended two information seminars on the Act organised by an NGO in Limerick and Galway.

Regarding the breakdown of applications, as of 15 May 2017, there are some 4,497 cases on hand in the IPO which includes some 1,444 uncompleted asylum cases from ORAC which are required to be processed for the single procedure (asylum, subsidiary protection and permission to remain); some 1,888 unprocessed cases from the former Tribunal, which have already received an asylum recommendation from ORAC and which are currently under appeal and require to be processed for subsidiary protection and permission to remain by the IPO; and 275 subsidiary protection cases. The breakdown above relates to legacy cases and there are 890 applications for international protection cases which were received after the commencement date which fall to be considered in their totality under the Single Application procedure. The prioritisation of international protection applications for interview is provided for in the International Protection Act 2015 subject to the need for fairness and efficiency. Details of the International Protection Office's approach to the prioritisation of applications, as agreed with the UNHCR, is available on its website www.ipo.gov.ie.