Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 at all times.

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 international protection applicants. This will ensure those who are entitled to international protection to rebuild their lives here are given status, while also ensuring faster decision making in respect of those who do not meet the criteria.

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.

In addition to these staff, case processing panel members are contracted by the Department to make recommendations on International Protection cases to the International Protection Office. The number of panel members recruited in the IPO has also increased during 2023 to 184 at the end of November, an increase of 229% on the 56 active panel members overall in 2021 and a 142% increase on the 76 panel members active at the end of November 2022.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 402 and 403 together.

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

Both the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) are fully independent in deciding whether or not to grant international protection. Each application is examined individually on its own merits, in line with national and international asylum law

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.

I can also inform the Deputy that the IPO expects to have 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.

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.

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.

Please see below table for data detailing processing times for the IPO.

IPO First Instance Processing Time in Months from the beginning of the relevant year to Reference Date
Time Period	Median	Average
Jan 2022 up to Nov 2022	19	19
Jan 2023 up to June 2023	11	11
Jan 2023 up to Oct 2023	12	11

*Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.

Please see below table for data detailing processing times for the IPAT.

Average processing times from appeal lodged in the International Protection Appeals Tribunal to decision issued.

Time Period	Median	Average
At end of Nov 2022	10.8	13.5
At end of June 2023	5.1	7.7
At end of Oct 2023	5.2	7.2

*Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics 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. This can be accessed at:

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

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