Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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378. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality given the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2025 and the pilot project which has processed over 300 decisions since July, the assessment that his Department has made of the current backlog in international protection appeals; the estimate that has been made of the additional resources required to meet the June 2026 EU processing obligations; and how his Department will ensure that those outcomes do not exacerbate pressures on emergency accommodation, including in Cork. [62576/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department continues to focus on preparing for the EU Migration and Asylum Pact in advance of June 2026.

Ireland’s national implementation plan sets out the State’s proposed approach to meeting the requirements set out in the Pact. It is not a binding prescription, but rather an indication of how Ireland intends to go about implementing the Pact.

The plan allows for a transition period before the Pact comes into effect in June 2026 during which elements can be examined in greater detail and modified as required. This includes operational aspects as well as resource requirements around human resources, IT, infrastructure etc.

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. As the Deputy is aware, the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration recently conducted pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme. The drafting of the Bill is well advanced. 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 intentionally mislead the authorities by presenting false information or documents or by withholding relevant information or documents, or are deemed a security risk.

To enable testing of the required border procedure timelines, my Department introduced the first phase of a gradual transition to a new accelerated, end-to-end process for applicants entering the international protection system in Ireland on 1 July 2025. This new accelerated process mirrors elements of the future border procedure and screening required by the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum while still adhering to the existing International Protection Act 2015.

More generally, 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 IPO delivered over 14,000 first decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023, while the 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. 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.

It is expected that the Tribunal’s decision-making capacity will increase further this year – with a target of over 5,500 appeals being concluded by year end.

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.

While commissioning emergency commercial accommodation will continue to be necessary in the short to medium term, it is being contracted on a short-term basis, which enables the State to decommission this capacity with agility as contracts expire or demand fluctuates.

It is hoped that the creation of a core supply of State-owned accommodation, of both emergency and permanent options, will also allow more strategic direction accommodation types, location and dispersal patterns nationwide.

To date, the Department has already increased its State-owned beds from 900 in mid-2024, to 4,000.

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

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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379. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if all IPAS centres in operation have a valid fire safety certificate; the number of centres found to have fire safety concerns during inspections in 2025; if any IPAS centres have been allowed to begin operations without a fire safety certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62578/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The safety and well-being of all residents in International Protection accommodation is the highest priority for the Department and fire safety is a critical requirement for all accommodation centres.

The Department does not routinely collate data in the manner requested in the question, but all international protection accommodation centres are subject to inspections each year through either Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) or IPAS-commissioned inspections.

The IPAS inspection regime is a key mechanism for ensuring that all providers adhere to their contractual obligations, which explicitly include full compliance with all statutory fire and building control regulations.

Correct fire safety certification, in line with relevant Local Authority requirements, is also a priority aspect of the appraisal process for all international protection accommodation centres.

It is a mandatory requirement for any new or renewed contract for accommodation for international protection applicants.

Reports from IPAS inspections are published on gov.ie:

www.gov.ie/en/international-protection-accommodation-services-ipas/publications/ipas-inspection-reports/

HIQA inspection reports can be found on the HIQA website:

www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/inspection-reports

IPAS also carries out unannounced inspection compliance visits which ensure adherence to established IPAS policies, procedures, and standards, by the contracted service provider.

It is important to note that a published inspection report is a snapshot in time, reflecting the findings on the day of the inspection. The report itself is not updated with subsequent actions.

Therefore, while a report may highlight deficiencies, the formal follow-up actions, remedial works, or photographic proof of resolution provided by the contractor are handled after the report is issued, as part of the compliance process.