The number of people making asylum applications in the Republic declined last year for the first time in the past decade.
Official figures show a drop of more than 5 per cent in the number of asylum claims lodged in 2001, compared to 2000.
A total of 10,325 asylum-seekers sought to be recognised as refugees last year on the basis they were fleeing persecution, compared to 10,938 in 2000.
The statistics indicate that the trend of asylum applications is evening out, after a sharp increase in 1999 when the annual total rose to 7,724 from 4,626 in 1998.
The number of asylum claims has continued to rise annually since 1992, when 39 claims were made. The annual total rose to 91 in 1993, 362 in 1994, 424 in 1995, 1,179 in 1996 and 3,883 in 1997.
Mr Peter O'Mahony of the Irish Refugee Council said last year's figures showed that "even with a huge investment by the Government in efforts to reduce numbers, the numbers will find their own level and all the indications are that Ireland can expect to have numbers in the region of 10,000 a year for the foreseeable future".
The council and other lobby groups have criticised security measures at Rosslare port in Co Wexford which have led to a dramatic reduction in the number of asylum claims lodged there. However, the vast majority of asylum applications are made at the Dublin Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner.
The figures from the commissioner's office show a different monthly trend in asylum applications last year compared to the previous year.
In 2000, the number of applications dipped sharply during the summer and rose significantly in the spring and towards the end of the year. However, last year's figures show a more even monthly spread, with peaks in July, August and last month. The total of 960 for last month is provisional.
The Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner has increas- ed its staff significantly and concentrated last year on working through the backlog dating back to 1997 of thousands of asylum claimants awaiting interview. A poor interview attendance rate by those in the backlog indicated many claims still "alive" on paper had in reality been abandoned. It still takes from several months to years to process asylum claims.
However, the commissioner, Ms Berenice O'Neill, said she expected that by next September all applicants would be processed within six months, assuming there was not a huge change in the volume of applications.
Nationals from Nigeria and Romania continue to make up the bulk of asylum applicants. The Government has signed readmission agreements with both countries, aimed at speeding up deportations of failed asylum-seekers.
Some 8 per cent of applicants for refugee status are eventually successful in the Republic, al- though the rate varies greatly depending on the applicant's country of origin. About 23 per cent of cases are overturned on appeal. People recognised as refugees have the same basic rights as Irish citizens and can ultimately apply for citizenship.
Meanwhile, the Irish branch of an organisation which assists people to be voluntarily repatriated says it has helped three asylum-seekers return home since it opened last November. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which receives Government funding, says it paid the transport costs of two Romanians and one Algerian.