Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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588. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department will provide more family reunification places under a new humanitarian admission programme for Syrian refugees and their families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5676/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Refugee Protection Programme Humanitarian Admission Programme (IHAP) was announced in May 2018 as part of the Government's plan to realise the full commitment of 4,000 persons agreed under the first phase of the IRPP in September 2015. 

The programme allows holders of an international protection status in Ireland, (i.e. refugees with Convention or Programme Refugee status), holders of Subsidiary Protection grants, and Irish citizens, to make a proposal to me to bring to the State their family members who are nationals of one of the top ten major source countries of refugees as identified by the UNHCR Annual Global Trends Report.

IHAP received proposals for inclusion in the programme within defined periods or ‘windows for submissions’. The first window for accepting proposals ran from 14 May 2018 to 30 June 2018. Processing of the proposals from this first window was completed in 2018. A second window for the submission of proposals ran from 20 December 2018 until 8 February 2019. 

The first IHAP round granted permission to 165 beneficiaries. To date, the second round of the IHAP has granted permission to 592 beneficiaries.

When the IHAP was announced in May 2018, it was envisaged that there would be approximately 530 beneficiaries. In December 2019, the allocation was increased to approximately 740 beneficiaries.

My Department is currently finalising the processing of proposals submitted under the existing programme and the number of persons to benefit from it is likely to exceed the 740 allocation.  

There are no current plans to reopen the programme.