Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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489. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she is advancing proposals to offer leave to remain to persons who have spent more than two years in direct provision as part of efforts to reduce the current backlog of applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44654/21]

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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490. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applications made for international protection in Ireland in each of the years 2001 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of negative decisions for each of those years in which all avenues of appeal were exhausted in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44656/21]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 489 and 490 together.

The statistics requested by the Deputy are set out in the attached tables.

Since the commencement of the International Protection Act 2015 on 31 December 2016, a single application procedure applies where all aspects of a person's application (refugee status, subsidiary protection status and permission to remain) are examined and determined in one process. Prior to this, the three strands were examined sequentially and this could lead to long delays in obtaining a final decision.

My Department is committed to implementing the key recommendations in the Expert Advisory Group Report to reduce processing times of both first instance decisions and appeals to 6 months respectively, as outlined in the White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Protection Support Service.

The White Paper proposes that the new system should be phased in and operational by 2024 and that the intervening period should provide an opportunity to progress improvements in the overall processing times for international protection.

Work is under way in my Department towards identifying mechanisms which will assist with this. For example, additional ICT resources have been secured for this year, and detailed practical work, including the end-to-end review of relevant international protection processes by a multi-disciplinary team from within my Department, has now been completed.

My Department's main focus now is to get its processing system functioning as effectively and efficiently as possible, while adhering to all measures in place to combat the spread of COVID-19.

A number of initiatives have already been introduced, including the relocation of the Ministerial Decisions Unit to the International Protection Office (IPO) premises to improve work processes; the designation of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal as a body authorised to hold remote hearings; and the holding of virtual interviews with some applicants living outside of Dublin by the IPO, which resumed on 10 May.

The IPO has also put in place a range of measures to improve efficiencies across a number of work streams, such as improved processes, implementation of non-cooperation measures, and initiatives to speed up the return of completed questionnaires from applicants. A new, shorter and more user-friendly questionnaire is being used since 28 June and the IPO has also agreed a new prioritisation schedule with UNHCR that is effective from 14 June.

My Department will, by October 2022 at the latest, commence a review of progress made in reducing and improving processing times and based on the outcome of that review, decide by the end of 2022, whether additional measures are required in order to ensure that the new system can come into operation without the overhang of any significant number of legacy cases.

As requested by the Deputy the table below sets out the total number of applications for asylum / international protection between the years 2001 to date.

The tables below set out the number of negative decisions for each of those years in which all avenues of appeal were exhausted. The breakdown sought is not readily available for the years 2001-2008. For those years my Department has been able to provide the total numbers of all asylum refusals only.

The table below sets out the total number of MDU refusal decisions (decisions for all applications irrespective of whether there was an appeal).

The table below sets out the number of MDU refusal decisions after an appeal.

The figures in the tables above refer to the year in which the decision was made and not necessarily to the year in which the application was made.