Families processed away from Mount Street IPO Office

The State is now using a second location to process asylum seeker applications due to “space constraints” at the International Protection Office at Timberlay House on Lower Mount Street in Dublin city centre.

Since 10 April the IPO has been operating a second location to accept applications for international protection for families accompanied by children under the age of 18.

That location is the Citywest Convention Centre, Saggart, Co Dublin, which is also used to house asylum seekers.

In response to questions from RTÉ News, the Department of Justice responded: “This is to address space constraints at Timberlay House which, in the context of the number of applicants seeking international protection at present, can be a challenging environment for families with young children in particular.

“The application of a family accompanied by children takes longer to register than for single applicants – between 3 and 5 hours. The second processing centre is designed to ensure that as many applications as possible can be registered on the day of application. “

In the statement, the Department also said: “The Citywest facility has greater capacity to process families with children and is already equipped to handle large groups of people. Applicants are assisted by cultural mediators from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

“A number of interpreters are on site to work with applicants in completing their forms. A large family waiting area and a child-friendly space is available, alongside private rooms for vulnerability assessments.

“Other applicants continue to have their registration applications processed at Timberlay House, Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.”

The number of staff assigned to the IPO has been doubled which, said the department, has led to the number of decisions issuing increasing threefold.

To the end of April, 5,000 interviews were scheduled this year, compared to 2,800 in the same period in 2023.