THE NUMBER of applications for refugee status in the Republic has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade.
The Refugee Applications Commissioner's annual report confirms that 3,985 applications were received last year - 7 per cent less than in 2006 and the lowest annual figure since 1997.
However, it also shows a "significant increase" - from 233 in 2006 to 440 last year - in the number of judicial reviews being taken against its decisions.
The largest share of asylum applicants last year came from Nigeria, followed by Iraq, China, Pakistan, Georgia and Sudan. In 2006 the top six countries were Nigeria, Sudan, Romania, Iraq, Iran and Georgia. According to the report, the number of applications for asylum from unaccompanied minors was 88 last year, nearly 33 per cent fewer than in 2006. There were 373 applications for family reunification received in 2007, representing a 22.8 per cent fall on 2006.
Commenting on the report, Fine Gael spokesman on immigration and integration Denis Naughten said the increase in judicial reviews was a direct result of "the chaos in the asylum process".
"Instead of dealing with people quickly, fairly and transparently, it now takes years for final decisions to be made on asylum applications. These delays are totally unacceptable for genuine asylum applicants, and should not be tolerated for bogus applicants," he said. "Equally, Irish taxpayers will not tolerate their money being spent on housing and board for ridiculously long periods. There is no doubt that these delays have been a factor in asylum cases being presented before the courts for judicial review."
Mr Naughten said such problems were compounded by under-staffing in the asylum system, with the most recent figures showing that about one in five positions is vacant in three State bodies dealing with immigration, including the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner
"Our asylum system is a mess, and clearly there is no one in charge. The asylum process should deal quickly, fairly and transparently with all applications for refugee status. This cannot be achieved with an asylum application service which is clearly under-funded and which represents bad value for money for taxpayers."
The Irish Times reported recently that the number of asylum judicial review applications passed the 1,000 mark last year for the first time. Courts Service records show that 1,024 applications were made last year, though they relate to decisions taken by all three agencies involved in asylum judicial reviews - the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service and the Refugee Applications Tribunal.
Of those who sought refugee status here last year, 62 per cent were male and 38 per cent female.
While applications were received from 98 countries, only 48 countries had more than 10 applicants each. A large majority of applications (85 per cent) were made at the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, and 8 per cent were made at airports.
Last year's total represents a 66 per cent decrease on the 2002 total - when applications for asylum were at their highest level - and reflects a general decline in asylum figures across Europe.
In Ireland, it is due in part to a change in citizenship rules and the coming into effect of the so-called Dublin II regulation, which states that asylum must be sought in the applicant's first EU country of arrival. The Government believes its efforts to combat abuses of the asylum system and its reform of the process have also influenced the downward trend.
The Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, which is making its way through the Oireachtas, will overhaul the asylum process. It proposes a single application procedure for all those seeking protection in the State, more restricted access to judicial reviews of asylum refusals, and allows for a deportation to continue while a judicial review is ongoing.