Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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310. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when details of the IHAP 3 scheme will be announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45795/21]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I do not propose to reopen the IHAP programme, which is closed to new applications. Approximately 76 Afghan nationals have been issued with immigration status letters by my Department so far this year under IHAP, enabling them to reside and work in the State.

In response to the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, I have asked my Department officials to examine, as a matter of urgency, proposals for a humanitarian admission programme whereby persons resident in Ireland could apply for family members in Afghanistan to be granted admission to Ireland. The introduction of any new scheme, along similar lines to the previous Syrian Humanitarian Admission Programme (SHAP) and IHAP, would require a Government decision. I intend to bring proposals to Government in relation to this matter in the near future.

As you will be aware, the Government announced that a significant number of Afghan people would be allocated places on the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), which is under the remit of my colleague, Minister O’Gorman. My Department is providing the visas to facilitate their travel to Ireland and has issued more than 340 visas or letters in lieu to date. Priority has been given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls and minorities, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.

My Department is currently focused on processing applications for Afghan family members of Irish citizens and Afghan nationals living in Ireland. We are prioritising all such applications and processing them speedily and sympathetically.

In addition to visa applications, my Department is currently processing family reunification applications for 65 Afghan family members. These are being prioritised, with full consideration given to the current humanitarian context. To date this year, family reunification permission has been granted to 106 Afghan family members under the terms of the International Protection Act 2015.

International protection applications from Afghan nationals are already prioritised and, to date this year, 70 Afghan nationals have applied for protection in Ireland. The processing of these applications takes full account of whether a person will be in danger if not provided with a permission to remain here. My Department is currently reviewing all international protection applications on hand from Afghan nationals with a view to expediting their progress, in line with recent updated advices provided by UNHCR.