Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1670. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of international protection applicants currently awaiting a first-instance decision; the average and median waiting times; and the steps being taken to reduce these waiting times to under 12-weeks in line with practices in other EU states. [46530/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is a priority for my Department to have recommendations made on all international protection applications as soon as possible. This gives 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.

There has been a significant increase in investment into the international protection system which, combined with digitisation and process reengineering, has facilitated a major increase in processing capacity.

In 2024 the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 14,000 first decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023. To end August 2025 it has delivered 13,052 decisions, an increase of 58% over the same period last year.

I can assure the Deputy it is my intention to continue the investment in the end-to-end international protection process to speed up decision making.

There are 17,589 international protection applications currently awaiting a first-instance decision, down from 23,603 at end August last year.

The median processing time for first-instance decisions in 2025 has been 14 months overall and for those under accelerated procedure it has been four months.

Insofar as processing practice across the EU is concerned, as the Deputy is aware, Ireland has opted in to the EU Asylum and Migration Pact which will come into effect in June 2026. The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU.

The General Scheme of a new International Protection Bill to give effect to the measures of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact was approved by Government on 29 April 2025. The General Scheme has been published and referred to the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for pre-legislative scrutiny. The drafting of the Bill is underway. It is expected that the Bill will be published by the end of the year. Enactment of the Bill and commencement of the Act is required by 11 June 2026. Work is well underway in my Department to prepare for its implementation.

The Bill will provide for the timeframes for the different procedures under which an international protection application can be examined, in accordance with the 2024 Asylum Procedure Regulation and the 2024 Asylum and Migration Management Regulation.

These timeframes will be 6 months for standard procedures, 3 months for the accelerated procedure, 2 months for the admissibility procedure, and in procedures for determining the Member State responsible in accordance with the AMMR, 6 months.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1672. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his Department has assessed whether the reduction of the waiting time for labour market access permits has contributed to an increase in the volume of international protection applications; and if so, to provide the data underpinning this assessment. [46532/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time available.

I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.