Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department takes all necessary steps to manage the international protection process efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity of those processes is maintained at all times.

The number of international protection applications last year was 13,650, a significant increase on recent years. It represents a 186% increase on the number received in 2019, the most recent year in which application numbers were not impacted by Covid-19. To end of October 2023 the IPO has received 10,386 international protection applications.

In July this year, I published a report on the international protection modernisation programme for 2023 and 2024. This programme is implementing measures to improve efficiencies and throughput as well as improving the application, interview and decision-making process for applicants. This will give status to those who are entitled to international protection to rebuild their lives here, while also ensuring faster decision making in respect of those who do not meet the criteria.

Already these reforms are having a significant impact with the median processing time for first-instance decisions reducing from 18 months in 2022 down to 15 months in 2023. The median processing times for appeals is also down from 15 months at the beginning of 2022 to five months in 2023.

As part of this modernisation programme, I also signed a regulation in November 2022 to introduce an accelerated procedure for international protection applicants from designated safe countries of origin. These applicants now typically receive a first instance decision in less than three months, which is a significant reduction from a norm of 22 to 26 months early last year.

The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) is a statutorily independent body and exercises a quasi-judicial function under the International Protection Act 2015.

The International Protection Appeals Tribunal's (IPAT) operational capacity is also currently being significantly expanded to meet their increased caseload. Additional resources are being deployed through increasing the number of Tribunal members as well as further recruitment of administrative staff.

The table attached details the data requested by the Deputy including number of applicants, number of initial decisions, number of appeals, number of appeal decisions, number of JRs, and the decision outcome positive and negative with respect to international protection by type of status, for the years 2017 to 2022 and to date in 2023.

Statistics before 2017 are not easily available in the manner sought as data would have to be extracted from a number of legacy systems. With the introduction of the International Protection Act in 2016 and the creation of the International Protection Office a new database allows for easier collation of data in more recent years.

Appeals with Appeal Type (2017 - Oct 2023)

Appeal Decisions with Appeal Type (2017 - Oct 2023)

International Protection JRs 2017 to 2023 (to end Oct)

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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A breakdown of headcount in functions involved in processing international protection applications from 2015 to 2023 up to 8 November 2023 is set out in the table below. Statistics before 2015 are not easily available in the manner sought as data would have to be extracted from a number of legacy systems.

*As of 8 November 2023. Please note all data provided is correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing.

In addition to staff, the IPO appoint appropriately qualified panel members to carry out a range of duties including carrying out interviews with applicants and producing reports detailing an applicant’s case for consideration by IPO staff. Following a comprehensive recruitment programme, the number of IPO panel members is on target to reach 160 by year end (December 2022: 72). In IPAT, full and part-time Tribunal Members consider appeals and make decisions in respect of appeals. There are 66 Tribunal Members (December 2022: 47).

In 2020 the Department of Justice implemented a transformation programme. As a result the costs from 2020 onward that are related to the international protection process are not directly comparable with the costs incurred prior to that point, as a number of expenditure areas were restructured as core departmental functions.

The table below details data on financial allocations to the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) since 2013.

Notes:

As part of the 2020 transformation programme IPO salary costs were included in Immigration Service Delivery salaries and an estimated adjustment has been made to include those values.

All data provided is correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing.

The Deputy may also wish to know that the Department’s website provides a detailed overview of the International Protection process in Ireland as well as monthly statistics and metrics on the processing of international protection applications. These can be accessed at:

www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/304ba-international-protection/.

www.gov.ie/en/collection/48a28-international-protection-in-numbers/.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department is taking all necessary steps to manage the international protection process fairly and efficiently, as part of the broader Government response to this challenging issue.

The number of international protection applications last year was 13,650, a significant increase on recent years. It represents a 186% increase on the number received in 2019, the most recent year in which application numbers were not impacted by Covid-19.

In July this year, I published a report on the international protection modernisation programme for 2023 and 2024. This programme is implementing measures to improve efficiencies and throughput as well as improving the application, interview and decision-making process for applicants. This will give status to those who are entitled to international protection to rebuild their lives here, while also ensuring faster decision making in respect of those who do not meet the criteria.

Already these reforms are having a significant impact with the median processing time for first-instance decisions reducing from 18 months in 2022 down to 15 months in 2023. The median processing times for appeals is also down from 15 months at the beginning of 2022 to five months in 2023.

As part of this modernisation programme, I also signed a regulation in November 2022 to introduce an accelerated procedure for international protection applicants from designated safe countries of origin. These applicants now typically receive a first instance decision in less than three months, which is a significant reduction from a norm of 22 to 26 months early last year.

Reforms to the international protection process will continue in 2024. Approximately €34m was allocated in budget 2024 to the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) to continue to scale up processing.

The data the Deputy requested regarding application decision times is detailed in the attached document.

It should be noted that in the very small number of cases with unusually long processing times, these are typically attributable to circumstances outside of the control of the Department. The reasons for such extended delays in processing can include an applicant who may have an ongoing Judicial Review, certain applicants may be uncontactable or missing, or may be a child with a separate application where a parent has already received a decision but contact has not been maintained with the Department, and some applicants may not be co-operating with the application process itself. Arrangements have been put in place to appropriately resolve such cases without further delay wherever feasible.

92% of cases decided in 2022 were processed in 3 years or less and 62% of cases decided in 2022 were processed in 2 years or less.

Notes:

-Statistics before 2017 are not easily available in the manner sought as data would have to be extracted from a number of legacy systems. With the introduction of the International Protection Act in 2016 and the creation of the International Protection Office a new database allows for easier collation of data in more recent years.

-Figures shown are correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing.