Tribunal making progress speeding up refugee appeals

The Refugee Appeals Tribunal is making major progress in its efforts to speed up challenges to the rejection of asylum applications, according to Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.

The minister said today that fewer than than 250 cases were under consideration at the tribunal in January of this year, compared to more than 1,000 in January 2004.

He also said prioritised asylum applications were now being processed by the tribunal within just three weeks.

Mr McDowell made the comments while welcoming a new move by the appeals body to regularly publish a selection of "legally important" decisions it has taken.