Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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151. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25047/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I understand that this is a difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones and would like to take this opportunity to assure them that my Department is processing applications under the Afghan Admissions Programme (AAP) as quickly as possible.

To ensure as many people as possible can avail of this important programme my Department have been liaising with representatives of the Afghan Community and with applicants directly to ensure the Afghan Admission Programme team have everything needed to progress applications.

Where applicants are missing important information, such as proof of identity and familial relationships, the Afghan Admission Programme Unit contacted people directly to gather the required documents. This process is now complete. The requested information has begun to be received and applications continue to be assessed in a pragmatic and humanitarian manner.

As of close of business on 19 May 2023 a total of 165 applications were approved in respect of 450 beneficiaries. No refusals have been issued. All applicants will receive a decision in the coming months.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie) 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 is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.