Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 22 Feb 2024

The simple answer is that the service will continue to engage. The service has operated since 2008 to assist Oireachtas Members to make representations on behalf of their constituents in respect of individual immigration applications. Since its establishment, the service has dealt with almost 80,000 requests. Last year alone, it answered more than 6,600 queries with more than 90% of these queries answered within three days. There is a dedicated team in my Department tasked with answering these queries.

The types of immigration queries that can be dealt with through the Oireachtas mail system include those specific to individual visa applications, citizenship applications, domestic residence applications and general immigration queries, for example, people seeking information on how to apply for certain types of permission.

It has always been the case, in line with the confidentiality provisions of the International Protection Act 2015, that queries relating to individual applications for international protection cannot be answered through this service. I am not sure whether colleagues know this. Specific answers on international protection cannot be given out. If an international protection applicant has a query in relation to their case, they can make direct contact with the International Protection Office, IPO, or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal, as appropriate. This will enable what they want, which is a full and comprehensive reply to be provided.

Last year, my Department conducted a review because we wanted to make sure the answers that people were getting were as comprehensive as possible. Approximately 30% or 40% of people responded. As part of the review, Members of the Oireachtas were surveyed and the results of this informed upgrades to the services that have now been implemented. This includes, where possible, making sure each answer is tailored to provide as specific information as we can to the person, as well as providing general information on the process that the person is in. Often, it was felt that the information was generic and needed to be more specific. Legalistic language has been removed, where possible, and we aim to provide information in plain English. This benefits us all. In the background, we have moved to a new operating system to allow easier identification of cases, swifter responses and better management reporting. To ensure this is working efficiently, later this year I will survey Members again on the service to ensure that it is meeting the needs of Members.

I thank the Minister for the reply. Are there plans to expand it so that other queries can be taken by Oireachtas Members? I noticed that some replies received from the system suggested that no representations would be considered were being sent to some TDs. Are there plans to expand this? For example, 100,000 migrant visas were issued in 2022. A large number are going through the system. It is often a cause of delay and anxiety for people when progress does not seem to have been made after questions have been asked and replied to. We need a fair and efficient system. Sometimes the system seems to be rather opaque, or there does not seem to be a system according to some of the people who have come into my office. The delays and the lack of enforcement have been exploited by some people with a different agenda. It is being used to exploit the frustration that people in communities feel with regard to GPs and housing

I thank the Deputy. A number of measures are in train to try to reduce any backlog. This is the concern that people have and why they come to us asking where their application is in the system. There are no plans to expand what is being responded to.

The only other option is international protection. Under the 2015 Act, we cannot identify or provide information to somebody other than the applicant that may identify someone as a person who has applied for international protection. This is because we know many people apply because they have left a country not only because of war but because of potential persecution. Identifying them might put them at risk. The rules on international protection are very clear. We are trying to move towards people being able to get these updates so they do not necessarily have to come to us. In this regard, the Department is working to develop a portal to allow all customers to log in to check the status of their respective applications. This is part of an overall modernisation programme that is happening in the Department to try to move everything from the immigration side online. It is quicker and more efficient. While it might not be good for us, it removes us as the middleman. We are trying to provide information.

With regard to the investment being made in the process, I understand that many more staff have been employed. Are there statistics? I know that the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, are quite good at publishing the statistics on those staying with it. Will there be regular reports from the IPO to the justice committee? More co-ordination is needed to ensure those who have applications turned down know what is happening with them. Will any extra efforts be made on co-ordination between social welfare, IPAS and the IPO in respect of what happens to people after their applications for leave to remain are exhausted?

We are continually investing in the overall immigration system. There has been a particular focus on the IPO because of the significant increase in the number of international protection applicants. We have almost doubled the number of staff. This has allowed us to improve the systems. I need to make sure that any of the other applications or routes do not suffer time-wise. This is why there is so much emphasis on moving to an online system. So many of these applications can be processed in a much quicker way without needing individuals to be able to do it. Additional funding of €34 million has been allocated to improve and expand the teams that we have. The more people we have the more we can spread across the system.

I assure the Deputy that the Department has always engaged with other Departments, be it social protection, integration or others, to make sure we have a joined-up system and a joined-up approach. If people should be in receipt of social welfare it is important that they do receive it once they have approval or a proper stamp, whatever that might be. Where this is not the case we need to make sure that people are not in any way misusing the system. There is ongoing engagement between the Departments in this regard. Overall a great deal of progress has been made over the years. I want this system to be as good as it can be for Members.

That is why I am going to survey people later this year to see if the changes have led to improvements. I hope that people will be more pleased with the level of detail they get on individual applications.

I assure the Deputy that I am committed to ensuring that we not just have the required number of gardaí, but that they have the resources they need to protect us and themselves in order that Ireland is a safe and secure country. In 2024, I have provided a budget allocation of €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána, an increase of 25% since 2020. This will allow for the recruitment of between 800 and 1,000 new garda recruits this year, with an ambition of between 200 and 250 per class. We had five intakes last year. This year, we will only have four. If, therefore, we want to reach the higher end of our target, we will need between 200 and 250 recruits per class. An intake will be starting in April. I can see that the figures coming down the line are positive.

At the end of December, there were just under 14,000 serving gardaí. This represented an increase of approximately 9% since 2015 when there were 12,816. The number of recruits in the college continues to increase year on year. Last year, 746 trainees entered the college. This was the highest intake we had had since 2018, which was well before Covid, and a sixfold increase on the year before that.

As the Deputy will be aware, we have had a new Garda recruitment campaign for the third year running. It opened in January and closed on 8 February. I am delighted to note that just under 6,400 applications were received. The previous competition saw approximately 5,000, so this is another increase. Of this year’s applications, 32% came from women, which is a higher level than the current figure of 28% for female gardaí, so that is another positive. Almost 40% of applicants were over-35s. We opened up the competition to older recruits and I am delighted that so many have taken the decision to join the Garda. It is particularly positive that the number of women applying remains above 28%, which I am advised is also above the European average. More work is being done to try to encourage even more female recruits. Going into the breakdown a little further, 73% identified as white Irish and 27% were of various new communities, which is positive. We are seeing this increase in every intake.

I strongly encourage the prospective recruits to start their preparation for the next stages of the competition, which is often where people fall down. I want as many of the 6,300 to get through and become gardaí as possible.

The Minister will probably be aware that the justice committee visited the Garda Training College in November. We were impressed by the level of professionalism in Templemore. The college was anxious to stress that it was never actually closed during Covid, only that a hybrid model was introduced. We have called for that to continue. Templemore has the capacity for 1,000 recruits per year. The figures later this year will be interesting.

I understand that in some counties, only two new Garda recruits have been deployed in recent years. The emphasis has been on deploying them to cities instead. This has resulted in many cohorts or teams of community gardaí being reduced in size. It is vital that their numbers be increased.

The Deputy is right, in that the figures show that many gardaí from recent intakes have gone to Dublin, particularly when there has been a greater need. What we do not see in those figures is that transfers are now taking place, with some gardaí based in Dublin transferring out to other counties. The figures show one or two going directly from Templemore to those counties, but I understand that transfers have started to open up. This is positive. The more gardaí we have, the more we can have that flexibility within the organisation.

The Deputy asked about attestation. I did not get to that. Currently, three classes are in training in the college. They entered last year and are expected to attest in March, June and September of this year. The class that starts in April will attest next year. I expect that the number attesting this year will be between 600 and 700, but if we can get more starting in the intakes this year, we will likely see between 800 and 1,000 attestations next year. Attestations run a year behind new classes. Overall, the trend is moving in a positive direction. Numbers in our classes are increasing. That we had 6,300 apply in the recent campaign shows it is a profession of which people want to be a part.

The Minister mentioned that there was one class less coming through Templemore this year. Is that because of the attestations? A group was attested just before Christmas and was then more or less sent home again. Bringing forward those recruits’ attestations looked like a bit of a stunt. We cannot have a box-ticking approach to increasing the number, as visibility is vital.

How soon does the Minister expect the new recruits to the Garda Reserve to be on the street? Every time we speak to people, particularly in Dublin’s inner city, the issue of visibility is raised. They need to see a police presence on street corners. We have been calling for this since the middle of last summer when there were some difficulties. It is important that this be fast-tracked as quickly as possible.

We always said that there would be five classes last year. The first class was slightly earlier than this year's class. While the December class came out a few weeks earlier, that was to ensure that we had a presence. It was always going to be before the end of the year, though. There were always going to be the five intakes, and we had factored that in from the beginning of the year. Starting this year, because the first new intake will not be until April, it will not be physically possible to have five intakes. There will be four this year. Given how that feeds into the timelines, though, there is the potential for five classes again next year.

On the Garda Reserve, I was able to bring the new regulations to the Cabinet on Tuesday. They have been worked on for some time between my Department, the Garda and others. I anticipate that we will open up a new campaign in a matter of weeks. I want to see as many people joining as possible. I need to ensure that the structures in place for carrying out the competitions, which are also still conducting the competitions for the recent Garda recruitment campaign, have the capacity to do that, but it is my ambition that those competitions will open in a matter of weeks. The Garda Reserve does great work. It supplements and supports the work of the Garda and creates the visibility that the Deputy mentioned in our towns and elsewhere across the country.

My Department and I are taking every necessary step to manage the international protection process as efficiently and effectively as we can while ensuring that the integrity of the process is maintained at all times. During 2023, the number of applications was 13,277. While this was a slight decrease of 3% on 2022, it still represented an increase of 177% on the number that was received pre Covid. The Deputy can appreciate that this was a significant increase to which to respond. Ensuring that applications are processed quickly means that those who need our protection are given that protection quickly and given the opportunity to rebuild and move on with their lives. It also means that those who do not qualify are told to return to their countries of origin as quickly as possible.

My Department has taken a significant number of measures to increase the capacity of the international protection system. I have introduced an accelerated procedure for applicants from designated safe countries of origin. These applicants now typically receive a first instance decision in less than three months, a significant reduction from the norm of 22 or 26 months that used to be the case. Up to 31 January, the number of applications from safe countries had reduced by more than 50% compared to the previous 12 months. The safe country process is working. Many of those using the international protection process have in fact been economic migrants. We need to send a strong message to people that there are other routes for them to take and that they should not be clogging up an important system.

Last July, I published a report on the international protection modernisation programme for 2023 and 2024. This programme involves unparalleled investment in staff, panel members, re-engineered processes, and technology. We have implemented measures to improve efficiencies and throughput as well as enhancing the application, interview and decision-making processes for all applicants.

One of the priority areas of focus has been to recruit civil servants and panel members in order to increase case processing. The office now has more than 400 staff, an increase of 95%, so the staff complement has almost doubled since last year. The IPO made 2,482 first instance determinations in 2021, 4,323 in 2022 and 9,000 in 2023. I am confident that we will deliver approximately 14,000 first instance decisions this year.

I thank the Minister. It is good that we can have a dignified debate on immigration. Many of us recognise the positives of inward migration, particularly into areas like our health sector. Ireland is not a racist country but there is no doubt that there is some racism in it. This is largely because of the perception rather than the reality.

I am glad to hear the Minister talk about an increase in resources for the IPO. That is very welcome. Can we have a discussion at some point about the issue of safe country lists? Why is the position not harmonised within the EU system? Why does the EU not recognise a list of safe countries that are applicable to all? Ireland may allow migration from more countries than others. I ask the Minister to address that point. I know integration is important. This might not relate directly to the Minister's brief but her Department has received additional resources. Additional resources also need to be provided to the Department of integration in order to try to ensure that those who are given leave to stay can integrate, learn the language and move on and progress in society.

I agree with the Deputy's initial point. As a country, we have been and will continue to be extremely welcoming. All of us in this House should reject some of the commentary by and actions of certain individuals who want to send a different message. We need to ensure that we have a system that functions, that people get answers as quickly as possible and that those who do not have a right to be here are removed from the State or, in most instances and most effectively, are assisted to leave or to go back home. Many people are economic migrants do not want deportation orders. They do not want to have a mark on their ability to be able to study or work in or travel to other countries. We need to make sure our system works efficiently and effectively. By introducing a list of safe countries, we have introduced a system that enables us to tell people very quickly that they either have permission or they do not. From engaging with other countries, we have seen that the quicker people get a negative decision, the more likely they are to leave of their own accord. The safe country list is something I have no doubt we will revisit. The Deputy is right that there is not an overarching safe country list for Europe. It is up to each individual member state. As we develop the migration pact further, that is something which will be looked at and discussed, and there might be uniformity to how we apply it.

As I said, perception is often the reality for many people. One of the problems that we have had with the whole discussion on the IPO is the lack of information. I ask the Minister and her Department to consider a comprehensive public information campaign that clearly outlines the policies, management aspects and resources that the Government is bringing to bear on this problem. That would be very beneficial in the context of trying to take control of the narrative or steer it in a different direction. The other thing I would say is that as part of the EU, we have seen for years the general co-ordination that goes on between member states on different policies. That is where Ministers travel, maybe quarterly, to Brussels and sit down to look at the whole EU policy and frameworks and see how each country plays its part. When was the last time there was a meeting of EU justice ministers to examine this overarching policy in order to ensure that it is working for all member states and that the concerns of individual countries can be properly reflected in the future framing of EU policy on inward migration?

I assure the Deputy that this is on the agenda for all of the Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings that I attend. I will be at one again next week. I was at one only a couple of weeks ago. We have spent years debating and seeking to agree the new migration pact, which I am pleased to say has finally been agreed. The pact will allow an approach where we have a better, more transparent and more efficient system where we have better co-operation between member states. I am trying to make sure that if people have asylum in another country and come here, they are returned to that country of origin and that we have co-operation from member states for this to happen. The system we have at the moment, the Dublin regulation, as it is called, does not allow for that because member states do not really have to co-operate with each other. If we are to respond to a massive increase in people on the move globally and if we are to provide legal pathways for people because we have a shortage of workers here, we need to make sure we are looking at what we need and how we can apply our legal routes, but also, where we have illegal migration, we need to work collectively to try to respond and to put measures in place. There is a perception that Ireland is an easy touch in the context of its rules. If one looks at the number of people who are given asylum and whose applications are approved, however, one will see that it either matches or is below the EU average in this regard. The Deputy is right that people want to have facts. I will do what I can as Minister to make sure those facts are clear to people.

I thank the Minister for taking this question. I would like to know why the Garda National Vetting Bureau does not have a role in vetting local authority housing applicants. Is there capacity in the Garda National Vetting Bureau to assist local superintendents with this process? Is there a more efficient way to process Garda vetting for local authority applicants?

I thank the Deputy for asking this question. The primary purpose of employment vetting as carried out by the Garda National Vetting Bureau, GNVB, is to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. I am sure the Deputy would agree on the vital importance of this task and the need for it to be carried out thoroughly and correctly. The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 provide that the vetting system is managed by the Garda National Vetting Bureau. As Minister of State, I have no role in the processing of individual vetting applications. I am advised by the Garda authorities that section 15 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997 provides for local authorities to obtain criminal record checks in respect of persons applying for housing, including persons the authority believes may have been engaged in antisocial behaviour.

To be clear, no individual who applies for social housing in Ireland is subject to Garda vetting. However, a local authority may seek information in relation to any person seeking a house from specified persons under section 15 of the 1997 Act, including An Garda Síochána or from another local authority. It is important to note that this is not a vetting process as provided for under the National Vetting Bureau Acts. As I have said, the purpose of vetting is to act as an important component of safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society, that is children and vulnerable adults. As a consequence, I am advised that the GNVB has no role in the processing of local authority housing applications. As the Deputy can appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for directing operational policing matters, including deployment of Garda resources and we have no role in that matter.

This is probably where some of the confusion arises. I got in touch with my local authority, which said it is waiting for the Garda to get back to it about the vetting in order that a particular housing applicant can access a home. I have no reason whatsoever to criticise the Garda vetting process, which needs to be robust, especially when it comes to children and vulnerable adults. When it is left to individual superintendents to carry out this process or whatever it is called, this is causing delays for social applicants moving into their homes. It is having additional consequences. If social housing applicants have got a forever home with their local authority, they have to give a notice to quit to their own landlord to move out. What happens is that the Garda vetting does not come back, the landlord may ask them to leave and then that family may have to enter into homelessness. Is there a more efficient way to get this process done in a timelier manner that is good for everybody?

To be clear, people seeking social housing are not Garda vetted under the Garda vetting Act or in any other shape or form. The local authority can request information on a particular person in the context of the specified persons provisions under section 15 of the 1997 Act, including An Garda Síochána, or from another local authority, for that matter. There is a very specific set of circumstances where the local authority can seek information on somebody's criminal record if the person is being provided with housing. It is obviously an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner and An Garda Síochána about how quickly it can process that. I have no doubt that if people have lived in a particular town for their entire life, it is probably relatively straightforward, but if they have been moving around a bit, they will have to contact different superintendents and Garda station and it may be a slower process. I will certainly raise the matter with the Garda Commissioner. Just to be clear, however, people applying for social housing are not Garda vetted.

I thank the Minister of State. As I said, there is confusion. The applicants are coming back to me and saying they are awaiting Garda vetting.

The local authority has come back to me to say it is waiting for Garda vetting. For example, South Dublin County Council has more than 10,000 applicants on the list waiting for social housing. That council's process is that it seeks some sort of Garda vetting, or some sort of okay from a superintendent, that the person moving in has not got a record. Drug charges or violence are usually the two things they look for in that regard. I ask for some sort of cross-departmental co-operation to see if there is any assistance we can give the superintendent in this.

I will give one brief example. A mother of seven children has been waiting since August for this vetting to come back. She is stuck in her family home. Although she is lucky enough to have a family home to stay in, she is stuck there with her mother. She and her children thought they would have moved in by Christmas, and there was great excitement and so on, but Christmas has come and gone, it is six months later and they still have not moved in.

Is there a more centralised way this can be done? The Minister of State said the Garda does not have a role in it but superintendents have a role, when a local authority asks. Is there a more centralised way to get this done? I appreciate it is not necessarily the Minister of State's brief.

I appreciate where the Deputy is coming from. I often hear from the local authority in the area where I live that somebody is being vetted, but it is not Garda vetting as such. Local authorities are using that as a generic term rather than the technical term under the legislation, when what they have done is contact the local superintendent for a particular request relating to a person who has applied for social housing. As I said, I will raise the matter with the Commissioner to see whether there is a way to streamline the process more for requests from local authorities to An Garda Síochána in respect of particular persons.