Written answers
Thursday, 20 November 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
International Protection
Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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507. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his Department has undertaken a thorough and detailed survey of the educational and professional qualifications of all individuals residing in IPAS centres, including but not limited, to their levels of secondary and tertiary education, the presence of advanced degrees such as PhDs, professional qualifications in fields like medicine or engineering, and any other vocational skills that may be of value to the Irish labour market; if such a survey has not been conducted, the reason this information has not been gathered; whether there are plans to carry out such an assessment in the near future; and to provide any existing data to facilitate straightforward analysis and public transparency, in tabular form. [64730/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based.
Labour Market Access Permission was made available to eligible International Protection applicants in July 2018. Under the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 230 of 2018), people are eligible to apply for labour market access permission if:
- They are an international protection applicant; and
- They have waited at least 5 months from their “Application Received” date for their first instance recommendation; and
- They are cooperating with the international protection process – delays in receiving a recommendation must not be attributable to the applicant.
It should be noted that labour market access for international protection applicants is not an alternative to a work permit; it is intended to allow certain applicants to work while they await a decision on their asylum application. This is to ensure that those found in need of protection can begin rebuilding their lives here. It is not intended as an alternative route to the established pathways for legal migration for the purposes of employment.
Before a deportation order is made, a full assessment of each person’s individual circumstances is carried out to establish if they should be granted permission to remain in the State. If a person has made submissions in respect of their education or previous or current occupations, these submissions will be given due consideration as appropriate.
This information, if received, will be detailed on the person’s individual records but is not recorded in a manner which allows for the collation of statistic based on a person’s occupation or occupational prospects.
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