Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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1571.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department will expedite an international protection application for a person (details supplied) given the circumstances; and, if not, the way to accelerate the process. [32593/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am acutely aware of the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza and my Department is working closely with colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ensure a coordinated national response to this volatile and evolving situation. This includes their work to evacuate Irish citizens and their families who may require visa assistance.

As the Deputy may be aware, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for international protection has been made in the State. If a person is in the international protection process, there is a legal requirement under the International Protection Act 2015 to maintain full confidentiality at all times. Therefore the Department is unable to publish any information that would identify an international protection applicant.

If an application for international protection has been made in the State, the applicant or their designated legal advisor should contact the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate. This will enable a full and comprehensive reply to be provided.

Contact information for The International Protection Office can be found at:

Contact information for The International Protection Appeals Tribunal can be found at

Both the International Protection Office and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal 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.

If you need more detailed information on how an application will be processed by the IPO and in relation to the different stages of the process, you can find details (including the interview stage of the process) on the IPO website at: