Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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155. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will address the concerns relating to the level of immigration into Ireland raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60365/25]

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

The number of International Protection applications have been rising over the past number of years, reaching 18,500 in 2024. This year, we are beginning to see application numbers noticeably reduce with 35% fewer compared with the same period in 2024.

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, while the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed around 3,100 appeals in 2024 compared to over 1,700 in 2023.

In 2025, to the end of Q3, there has been a 51% increase in the total number of first decisions when compared to the same period in 2024. The IPAT has also increased the number of appeals completed to date in 2025 by 44% over the full year figure for 2024 with ongoing recruitment of Tribunal Members to increase its decision-making capacity.

The International Protection process is in place to determine if an applicant has a well-founded fear of persecution, or is at risk of serious harm in their country of origin.

In regard to training, the complex nature of the International Protection Act 2015 requires in-depth training for staff. The IPO works closely with the UNHCR and the European Union Asylum Agency in developing and delivering this training to staff and panel members.

Insofar as information which might be relied upon by applicants is concerned, a key focus in the training, supervision and quality assurance of our process is in assessing the credibility of an individual application, including where it seeks to rely on circumstances in a country of origin which might give rise in general terms to a well founded fear of persecution.

There has also been a significant increase in the numbers of deportation orders signed and enforced. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.

Deportations are costly and complex to enforce. It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily and my Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order. A person can only avail of voluntary return before a deportation order is issued and I have increased resources into this programme to enable persons who wish to return before a deportation order is issued to them.

The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 (2,403) increased by 180% compared to 2023 (857). This year 3877 deportation orders have been signed up to 31 October 2025.

Last year, 1,122 people departed from the State under various mechanisms (i.e. enforced deportation, voluntary return etc.), an increase of 252% compared to 2023 (317). This year 1770 persons have had their departure confirmed through these pathways.

My Department also continues to focus on preparing for the EU Migration and Asylum Pact in advance of 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 including standardised processing times for decisions: six months for a standard procedure, three months for accelerated and border procedures and two months for processing applicants who have applied for protection elsewhere in Europe.

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.

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 (AMMR).

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.

The Asylum Border Procedure will have a 12-week time limit for first instance and appeal decisions to be completed for applicants from countries of origin with a recognition rate of 20% or less across the EU, or for those who have no documents, false documents, or are deemed a security risk

In addition, the Programme for Government 2025 contains a commitment to publish a National Migration and Integration Strategy detailing how Government intends to meet the demands and the opportunities facing Ireland’s society and economy over the next decade.

My Department is currently working collaboratively with a wide range of other Government departments to develop this strategy with the aim to publish Ireland's first overarching whole-of-government National Migration and Integration Strategy in 2026.

In relation to international protection accommodation, my Department is already working to speed up processing of applications and to move away from commercial provision to more State-owned accommodation.

These reforms will help to drive down costs and to curtail the growth seen over recent years in the accommodation system.

Regarding the very difficult events of recent weeks in the vicinity of Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre, my Department, together with An Garda Síochána and a range of local partners and stakeholders, has been working hard to respond.

In relation to the alleged crime, a person has been arrested and charged and is now before the Courts.

It is important to note, notwithstanding this alleged crime, An Garda Síochána has clearly stated that there is no correlation between an increase in crime rates and the location of international protection accommodation.