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 International Protection Office (IPO) of my Department is responsible for examining all international protection applications received. The staff of the IPO are independent by law in the exercise of their international protection functions.

I am taking a number of steps to improve how our International Protection system works. In increasing capacity and speeding up decision making, we can ensure that those who have a right to international protection are given that status as quickly as possible. For those who are found not to have a right to international protection, they must return to their home country as quickly as possible.

The steps I have taken to improve the process includes the doubling of the number of staff in the IPO and providing another significant increase this year (200 to 400 in 2023). The IPO is now processing 1,000 cases per month – and this will increase further this year.

I introduced accelerated processing for people coming from safe countries with the first decisions now made within 90 days – down from 17-24 months in 2022. A review of the list of safe countries of origin is almost complete and I expect to make a decision on this in the coming weeks.

In July of 2023, 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.

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 table below sets out the number of IPO First Instance Decisions issued from 2017 to 2023 indicating where appeals are possible. In 2023, 62% of international protection applications were refused by the IPO.

Please note that although the Deputy has asked for figures from 2015 onwards, statistics pre-2017 are not readily 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 therefore we have provided figures from 2017 onwards only.

IPO First Instance Decisions 2017 to 2023:

Decision	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Decision	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Refugee Status (RS) Grant	672	679	708	439	859	1390	2477
Subsidiary Protection (SP) Grant (RS Refusal)*	84	203	140	83	75	70	237
Permission to Remain (PTR) Grant (RS and SP Refusal)*	65	202	268	202	588	2076	531
Refusal (RS, SP and PTR Refusal)*	970	1784	2093	1433	781	871	5197
Grand Total**	1791	2868	3209	2157	2303	4407	8442

*Refusal of any RS and SP elements at first instance can be appealed to the IPAT

**Figures are correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing

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

The table below show the number of appeals that IPAT (or it's predecessor the Refugee Appeal Tribunal) set aside or granted each year from 2015 to 2023*. In 2023, 90% of appeals from the IPO were refused by IPAT.

IP Appeals	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
IP Appeals	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Total Granted / Set aside	224	305	76	311	503	299	380	489	430
Total Appeals Received	1305	2020	886	1973	1895	1201	740	1158	4412

*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 my Department has created a website to provide a detailed overview of the International Protection process in Ireland which can be accessed at:

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

This site also provides detailed statistics and metrics in relation to processing of applications for protection. These statistics are published on a monthly basis.

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