Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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430. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a decision will issue regarding an application by a person (details supplied) for international protection. [12747/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that if an application for international protection has been made in the State it is not the practice, for confidentiality reasons, to comment on it. Under Section 26 of the International Protection Act 2015, it is an offence to identify an international protection applicant. The offence is punishable by summary conviction to a Class A fine or a term of imprisonment of 12 months or both. In this case, I can neither confirm nor deny that the person in question has applied for international protection.

If s/he has applied for international protection, s/he or his/her designated legal adviser or advisers may contact the International Protection Office (IPO) directly in relation to the application, either by email to info@ipo.gov.ie, by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 ,or in writing to Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

It should be noted that receipt of a recommendation letter from the International Protection Office (IPO) should not be interpreted as a final decision on the person’s international protection application. The IPO makes recommendations to the Minister for Justice and Equality, and due diligence must be carried out by the NIS on each case before the formal letter of confirmation is issued on my behalf. The current average processing times by INIS for grants of refugee status and subsidiary protection is some 30 days. Some cases, of course, take somewhat longer to process.

If the person in question has received a negative recommendation from the IPO and has appealed it to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT), s/he should contact the IPAT in relation to the appeal application. The IPAT operates an email service that can be contacted by individuals with any queries regarding their application - info@protectionappeals.ie.

If s/he has not yet applied for international protection, and wishes to do so, s/he is advised to make an application to the International Protection Office.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.