The Department of Justice expected it would require a €15 million legal fund next year to contest court actions brought by unsuccessful asylum applicants and individuals subject to deportation orders.
During internal talks, the International Protection Office (IPO) said it anticipated “exceptionally high levels of litigation” as it significantly accelerated how quickly refugee status applications are processed, reports Breaking News.
The IPO said an increase in negative rulings and deportations would inevitably result in a sharp rise in applications for judicial review.
In pre-budget documents, the office said speeding up the removal of failed asylum seekers was essential as it would prevent people from “accumulating more rights,” reports Breaking News.
It argued this approach would simplify deportations, lower accommodation expenses, and deter people from travelling to Ireland in the first place.
The submission stated: “The faster that final decisions can be made on an individual international protection application, the easier it is for a removal to take place,” reports Breaking News.
“Additionally, the perception of lengthy processing times in the system may attract additional applications,” reports Breaking News.
The pre-budget papers said the projected rise in refusals would have a knock-on impact across the entire asylum framework, including the appeals body IPAT and the courts, reports Breaking News.
In an email, Chief International Protection Officer Richard Dixon told colleagues that insufficient funding for the asylum system would weaken their capacity to handle applications.
He said this would result in higher costs for accommodation, social welfare, and other supports for asylum seekers, reports Breaking News.
Mr Dixon also warned of an “increased risk regarding judicial reviews and other legal costs.”
His email concluded: “Any reduction in capacity runs the risk of reducing public confidence in the integrity of the immigration system,” reports Breaking News.
In later exchanges, he issued a strong warning that cuts to the IPO budget would undermine its decision-making capability.
Mr Dixon wrote: “There will be fewer decisions, fewer deportation orders and fewer removals from the state,” reports Breaking News.
He also cautioned against delays in modernising the application system, saying this would raise “the cost per processed application.”
A detailed pre-budget submission said the volume of decisions issued had more than doubled over the last three years, reports Breaking News.
It said this expansion required “scaling up” every other element of the asylum system, including deportations, appeals processes, and legal supports.
The submission outlined how a €5.8 million funding increase for the IPO in 2023, introduced to address unprecedented demand, had not been renewed, reports Breaking News.
“These core funds have not been re-instated and should be re-instated as requested for 2025 and 2026,” it read.
The document detailed how the EU Migration Pact would impose strict deadlines for handling applications, meaning additional staff would be needed to clear current backlogs, reports Breaking News.
The submission warned: “Not investing in staff, technology, process and infrastructure has financial and reputational consequences for the state.”
Asked about the internal discussions, a Department of Justice spokesperson said: “It is a priority … to have recommendations made on all international protection applications as soon as possible,” reports Breaking News.
“This gives status to those who are entitled to international protection to rebuild their lives here, while also ensuring faster decision making in respect of those who do not meet the criteria.”
The spokesperson said the EU Migration Pact would be fully rolled out next year, including a 50 per cent budget increase to speed up processing and €7.5 million allocated for voluntary returns and deportations, reports Breaking News.
He added that significant increases in pay funding would support the recruitment of additional staff to help streamline the system.
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