Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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392. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide the data her Department holds with respect to the number of persons who have applied for international protection in Ireland but who were subsequently found to have made previous applications for international protection following a fingerprint search of the Eurodac database, or through an information exchange with relevant UK agencies or through the use of the Schengen information system; the countries or territories where these previous applications were made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55937/23]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Unfortunately it has not been possible to collate the requested information in the time requested. I will revert to the Deputy when the information is available.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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393. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide details on the UNHCR training offered to staff members within her Department who provide international protection services, including the content of any modules offered; if international protection staff can issue decisions in the absence of UNCHR training; the names and positions of the persons within the UNCHR who have provided this training; the costs incurred for the provision of this training from the date it was first offered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55941/23]

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.

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.

As part of the modernisation programme, one of the priority areas of focus for the IPO is to recruit both civil servants and panel members, to increase case processing. The number of panel members recruited in the IPO has 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.Additional panel members will be also be sought to boost the panel that conducts International Protection interviews. Over the course of the last year, the IPO has tripled the number of monthly determinations to over 1,000 in November, and plans to deliver at least 14,000 decisions in 2024, a further increase of almost 5,000 cases.

The complex nature of the International Protection Act 2015 requires in-depth training and the IPO works closely with the UNHCR in developing and delivering this training to its staff and panel members. The IPO has a comprehensive training programme in place for all caseworkers and panel members involved in interviewing applicants and considering international protection applications. The training sets out the International, European and national context of protection and the legal framework within which we work. This is delivered in conjunction with the with UNHCR Dublin office. The training currently takes over 6 full days and covers inter alia

- An Introduction to International Protection

- International, European & National context

- The Legal framework in place in Ireland

- An overview of the IPO

- Intercultural Awareness

- Overview of refugee and subsidiary protection definitions and credibility analysis.

- Considering nationality, statelessness & Article 1E

- Assessments of Facts and Circumstances including Credibility

- Well founded Fear, objective basis, persecution.

- Convention Grounds – Race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, political opinion

- Subsidiary Protection – Serious harm

- Permission to remain

- State Protection

- Internal Protection Alternative

- Exclusion Clauses

- Interviewing techniques

- Specific claims including vulnerable applicants, SGBV, SOGI, Trafficking, Children

- Interviewing vulnerable applicants

- Administrative Law & Judicial review

- Working with interpreters

- Data Protection

- Interview set up/practicalities

- Report Template and Practice note

- Case Management and style guide

- Role of panel members

- Country of Origin Information and its use

- Case Study exercise

Refugee Status Determination/International Protection Training has always been delivered by the UNHCR for staff/panel members in the IPO (from 31/12/2016 onwards) and for the IPO’s predecessor the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) – (November 2000 – 30/12/2016.) International Protection Officers can only make recommendations on applicant cases having fully completed the above training and having undergone required mentoring with their Case Processing Unit.

Funding from the Department to the UNHCR for 2022/23 amounts to €310,904 and covers a range of supports to the Department including quality review assistance, training, and other advice.

The year 2023 saw the biggest ever training programme undertaken in the IPO with some 298 staff and panel members trained in during 2023 over 7 training sessions. The cost of venue hire for training (due to large numbers being trained) in 2023 was €56,654.21. Please note the Department does not provide individual names of trainers for reasons of privacy and confidentiality.