Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2025
668. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of staff in the International Protection Office and International Protection Appeals Tribunal; if his Department has any plans to increase the number of staff in each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37749/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra669. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the cost of increasing the number of staff in the International Protection Office and International Protection Appeals Tribunal by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37750/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 668 and 669 together.
It is a central priority for me that our international protection and immigration systems are robust and effective for all stakeholders.
As the Deputy will be aware, there has been significant investment in staff across the entire international protection process in recent years.
The IPO now has 614 staff, an increase of 190% since 2022. In addition, 241 case processing panel members are currently contracted by the IPO.
There has also been a substantial increase in resourcing for the IPAT through both its budget and staffing. This has been particularly evident in the past two years with the number of administrative staff at the Tribunal increasing from 37 at the start of 2023 to 87 today. The Tribunal's budget has also increased by 95% since 2023.
My Department, in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service, has also been actively recruiting for additional whole-time and part-time Tribunal Members over the last two years, with three such open competitions having been held in 2024. In that regard, I can advise the Deputy that I have appointed a further 36 part-time Tribunal Members in the last three weeks.
Those new Members will greatly enhance the Tribunal’s decision-making capacity going forward. I am advised that a similar number of qualified candidates are currently undergoing appointment pre-clearance so, I would expect to have those additional part-time Tribunal Members appointed in the coming months.
The additional 36 Tribunal Members I recently appointed brings the number of part-time Tribunal Members to 118.
An increase of 10% of the current staffing for the IPO and IPAT would cost in the region of €3.7m per annum.
