Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together.

My Department is taking all necessary steps to manage the international protection process fairly, efficiently and effectively while ensuring the integrity of Ireland's rules-based immigration system is maintained.

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.

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 processing time for each case is different as case types and circumstances vary considerably. In addition nearly 14% of cases at the IPO this year relate to applicants from designated safe countries of origin. These particular first-instance decisions are made in under three months under an accelerated process. The IPO also works with UNHCR to expedite applications from a number of countries experiencing conflict such as Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.

Given these variable factors, and having particular regard to the varying level of applications from month to month, the IPO is unable to precisely correlate between cost and number of staff with reducing waiting times for first instance decisions.

However, I can inform the Deputy that the IPO expects to have approximately 400 staff by the end of 2023, an increase of 95% over 2022, and will make approximately 9,000 decisions this year, more than double that made last year. This increase in processing capacity is aimed at ensuring that those in need of protection receive that status without undue delay, while those that do not qualify are advised of this in good time.

The IPO is also introducing a number of modernisation initiatives that includes the introduction of digital applications. Early results show a reduction in processing times as a consequence. The IPO expects the benefits of digitisation to become more quantifiable in the coming months.

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. This 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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I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 126 together.

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 13,651, a significant increase on recent years. This 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 are deemed not entitled to international protection.

The target of the International Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) is that all new substantive International Protection Appeals be processed within 6 months from the date of receipt of the required documents. This has regard to certain statutory timeframes around the appeals process. The time taken to complete an appeal varies based on the type of appeal.

The median processing times for appeals is down from 15 months at the beginning of 2022 to five months in 2023.

In light of the increased numbers of applications to the International Protection Office, and the emerging increase in appeals to IPAT, additional staff were allocated to the IPAT in 2023.

The Budgetary provision for IPAT for 2023 was €5.999m based on an output target of completing 3,200 International Protection Appeals.

The resources provided to the IPAT are on the basis of it being able to process appeals in a timely manner, within the identified target timeframe of 6-months. The fee per appeal paid to a part-time member of the IPAT to deal with a case is based on a fixed amount per appeal with reference to the type of appeal and related factors. Having regard to the variable factors impacting on processing and the range of case types, and having particular regard to the varying level of applications and appeals over time, it is not possible to precisely correlate a change in the processing times with a calculation of costs and staff, in the manner identified.