Spending on processing and support services for asylum seekers in Ireland now exceeded €200 million a year and considerable inroads were being made into dealing with the number of cases that were more than six months old, the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, heard yesterday.
In his paper on "Ireland, the European Union: Immigration and Asylum", Mr David Costello, principal officer with the asylum policy division at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, reported that there were 2,319 asylum cases over six months old - the majority in the final stages of processing - at the end of June 2002, compared with 6,500 at the end of September 2001.
"We have nearly 500 people processing applications," he said, pointing out that spending on asylum associated services and supports had risen from €170 million in 2000 to €200 million last year.
Noting that "the whole issue of inward migration and asylum is a fairly recent phenomenon," he said that the country has had little experience of dealing with an inflow of people who are either legal migrants or coming to seek asylum.
The number of asylum-seekers in Ireland rose from just 39 in 1992 to 10,325 last year. The number of asylum applications received in EU countries during the same period has dropped from 675,460 to 384,530. The EU yearly average over the past 10 years is 374,580. Ireland is second in the league table for asylum applications per head of population.
The main country of origin for asylum seekers in Ireland is Nigeria. It accounted for 33.5per cent (3,461) of applicants in 2001, with Romania second at 13.1per cent (1,348) and Moldova third at 5.3 per cent (549).
However, according to UNHCR figures, the main countries of origin for asylum-seekers in the rest of the EU states are Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, and Yugoslavia FR.
Among the reasons suggested as to why Nigerians are the most numerous asylum-seekers in Ireland are the fact that Ireland is English speaking and the number of Irish missionaries that have been to Nigeria.
Mr. Costello said that it was Government policy to continue to develop a fast, fair and strengthened asylum process.
He also disclosed that there was a "no-show" rate of 40 per cent of asylum seekers when they are called for interviews.