Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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617. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applicants for IPAS who reached the State via the north of Ireland last year and for each of the past five years. [7132/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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618. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applicants for IPAS registered at the airports, ports and the IPO respectively, in 2024 and for each of the past five years. [7133/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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625. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of checks for asylum seekers that have been undertaken along the border with the north of Ireland by the Gardaí, for each month, for the past five years. [7141/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 617, 618 and 625 together.

The patterns in international protection applications vary over time and the Government’s response adapts accordingly. It has long been the case that a significant number of people apply for international protection for the first time in the International Protection Office (IPO).

There are a number of circumstances in which someone might apply in the IPO without first applying at a port of entry. They may enter at an airport with valid documentation for example but choose not to apply at that time. Or they may apply having been in the State for a period previously, for example on foot of a different permission to remain.

My Department’s assessment, based on the experience of staff and others working in the field, and based on the material gathered at interviews, is that most of those currently applying for the first time in the IPO have entered over the land border. Applicants are asked to outline their travel route at interview but, owing to the varied and unverifiable nature of those accounts, that information is not collated in a structured way.

The following table provides a yearly breakdown of IP applications made and the location the claim was made.

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

Ireland and the United Kingdom share a long history and common interest in the effective operation of the Common Travel Area (CTA) and work together to prevent any abuses of the CTA.

There is extensive engagement and cooperation at all levels between my Department’s officials and their Home Office counterparts. This includes joint operational cooperation, as well as information sharing, between the Gardaí, UK Border Force, UK policing services and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. This strong practical engagement and cooperation serves the mutual interests of both Ireland and the United Kingdom and will continue. The protection of an open border on the island of Ireland was and remains a key priority to the communities on both sides of the border.

‘Operation Sonnet’ is a Garda operation targeting abuse of the CTA and targets people attempting to abuse the CTA by illegally crossing the Irish border from Northern Ireland. ‘Operation Gull’ is the UK equivalent.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that during the overt element of Operation Sonnet, GNIB Officers operate checkpoints and vehicle stops on the M1 in order to conduct immigration checks on passengers travelling by means of both public and private transport from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland. I am advised that during each Day of Action of Operation Sonnet GNIB deploys approximately 12 Immigration Officers, who are supported by Officers from the UK Home Office and local Garda operational units where required.

In addition to the overt Days of Action, there are regular covert Operation Sonnet deployments, which provide the intelligence to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the Operation. During these operations, people entering Ireland illegally were refused leave to land and returned to the United Kingdom.

The following table outlines the number of detections and Days of Action conducted as part of Operation Sonnet. This information is collated on a quarterly basis since Q4 2023.

Operation Sonnet

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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619. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applicants for IPAS that have used the courts to appeal. [7134/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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623. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality how the average length of time the IPAS application process taken for each of the past five years; the length of time the longest IPAS application process has taken for each of the past five years. [7138/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 623 together.

I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected.

In 2024 the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 14,000 first-instance decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023, while the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed around 3,100 appeals in 2024 compared to over 1,700 in 2023.

I intend to further invest in the immigration system to support an ambitious target in the IPO of 25,000 first-instance decisions this year. The IPAT also aims to increase the number of appeals completed over the course of 2025 with recruitment of Tribunal Members to increase its decision making capacity currently taking place.

Accelerated processing was introduced in November 2022 and it now applies to those from designated safe countries of origin, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe and citizens of countries from which there are the largest number of applicants.

Under the accelerated process, applicants currently receive a first-instance decision within approximately four months. The median processing time for applicants in the standard procedure is 18 months.

The median processing time for appeals in IPAT in January 2025 was 11.4 months.

The data the Deputy requested regarding application decision times over the last five years is detailed in the following document.

It should be noted that in the very small number of cases with unusually long processing times, these are typically attributable to circumstances outside of the control of the Department. The reasons for such extended delays in processing can include an applicant who may have an ongoing Judicial Review, certain applicants may be uncontactable or missing, or may be a child with a separate application where a parent has already received a decision but contact has not been maintained with the Department. In some cases applicants may not be co-operating with the application process.

Arrangements are in place to appropriately resolve such cases without further delay wherever feasible.

In 2024, 99.5% of cases decided were processed in 3 years or less and 91.2% were processed in 2 years or less.

The following table details data on judicial reviews:

Notes: Figures shown are correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing.

IPO First Instance Processing Times in Months 2019 – 2025*

* To COB 17.2.25

*It should be noted that in the very small number of cases with unusually long processing times, these are typically attributable to circumstances outside of the control of the Department.

The reasons for such extended delays in processing can include an applicant who may have an ongoing Judicial Review, certain applicants may be uncontactable or missing, or may be a child with a separate application where a parent has already received a decision but contact has not been maintained with the Department. Some applicants may not be co-operating with the application process itself.

Arrangements have been put in place to appropriately resolve such cases without further delay wherever feasible.

IPAT Application Process Times in Months

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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620. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount the IPAS applicant process has cost for each of the past five years. [7135/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected.

In 2024 the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 14,000 first decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023, while the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed around 3,100 appeals in 2024 compared to over 1,700 in 2023.

It is my intention to continue ramping up investment enabling more staff to be recruited. This will support reaching key targets, including making 25,000 decisions in the IPO in 2025 and to increase the number of appeals at the IPAT completed over the course of 2025.

Budget 2025 has provided an additional €25m package for end-to-end investment in the entire immigration system.

The breakdown of the package includes €9.5m allocated for ISD and IPO, as well as an additional €2.4m allocated for IPAT.

These significant additional resources will be directed to streamline the international protection process. It will also fund increased investment in digital systems to modernise immigration systems, reduce processing times, increase removals (including with a new charter plane service), and strengthen border security.

The additional monies will also go towards funding readiness work for the introduction of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact requirements in June 2026.

All aspects of the international protection modernisation programme will continue to be kept under review and improved on an ongoing basis.

The following table outlines the money spent in the IPO for the period requested.

Total Estimate of IPO Expenditure 2019 - 2024 (Pay and Non-Pay)

In 2020 DOJ implemented a transformation programme moving from a subject-based structure to a functional operating model.

As a result the costs from 2020 onward are not directly comparable with the costs incurred pre transformation as a number

of expenditure areas were restructured as core departmental functions and some centralised costs were moved to the respective areas.

In 2020 as part of the transformation programme IPO Salary costs were included in ISD Administration salaries and an estimated adjustment has been made to include those values in the total costs for IPO. Costs for 2020 and 2021 were impacted by restrictions during Covid.

In 2023 Non-Core Additonal Humanitarian Aid Funding was granted to IPO.

In 2024 a new cost centre was set up for IPO so no IPO salary adjustment was required.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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621. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount the International Protection Appeals Tribunal has spent on external decision-making services in each of the past five years. [7136/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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622. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount the total International Protection Appeals Tribunal has cost in each of the past five years. [7137/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 621 and 622 together.

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

The Tribunal consists of a Chairperson, two Deputy Chairpersons, and ordinary members appointed on either a whole-time or part-time capacity.

Tribunal Members are appointed by the Minister for Justice following an open competition run by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) in accordance with section 62(4) of the International Protection Act 2015. Part-time Tribunal Members are paid on a fee per item basis in respect of completed decisions.

In 2024 the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed 3,103 appeals. Increased staff levels, more investment in technology, and additional recruitment of Whole-Time and Part-Time Tribunal Members in IPAT allowed for an increase in processing capacity.

It is my intention to continue ramping up investment enabling more staff and Tribunal Members to be recruited. Budget 2025 has provided an additional €25m package for end-to-end investment in the entire immigration system.

These significant additional resources will be directed to streamline the international protection process. It will also fund increased investment in digital systems to modernise immigration systems, reduce processing times, increase removals (including with a new charter plane service), and strengthen border security.

The additional monies will also go towards funding readiness work for the introduction of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact requirements in June 2026.

The following tables outline the money spent on both Members fees and IPAT total costs for the period requested. This expenditure does not include the costs of a range of support services provided to the function from the overall Department's funding or for immigration functions closely associated with the international protection process.