International protection applications could pass new annual record of 20,000

Justice Minister Helen McEntee told Cabinet colleagues of the revised projection after the 15,496 applications received by the end of Q3

Helen McEntee told fellow ministers she had taken a number of steps to address the surge in international protection applications including suspending visa-free travel to Ireland for some refugees. Picture: PA

There may be 20,000 applications for international protection this year, the justice minister has told Cabinet colleagues.

Helen McEntee updated ministers on Wednesday on the work of her department in handling applications from those seeking international protection (IP).

After record levels of IP applications in 2022 and 2023, the trend continued upward in 2024, she told government ministers with 15,496 applications at the end of the third quarter. 

On current trends, there may be 20,000 IP applications this year, she added.

Ms McEntee told ministers that she had taken a number of steps to address the surge in applications including suspending visa-free travel to Ireland for some refugees and introducing visa requirements for Bolivia, Botswana, Dominica, Honduras, and Vanuatu.

Ministers were also told that there had been over 6,000 "doorstep" operations at Dublin Airport by gardaí.

Data centres

Also at Cabinet, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan asked the Government to approve the drafting of a bill that would see district heating developed using the heat from data centres.

Once enacted, the bill will facilitate the growth of a low-carbon district heating industry, through which heat will be carried to buildings through a network of insulated underground pipelines which is then passed onto buildings.

Mr Ryan opened Ireland’s first district heating network in Tallaght in April of last year, which uses waste heat from Amazon Data Centre and is now providing low-carbon heat to South Dublin County Council public buildings and Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), with further plans to provide heat to 133 affordable apartments next year. There are also plans in place to use heat from the Poolbeg incinerator to heat up to 50,000 buildings in the surrounding area.

District heating currently accounts for a very small share of the Irish heating sector; estimated to be significantly less than 1%, representing one of the lowest shares of district heating in Europe.

Data protection

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin got Government approval for an Oireachtas motion to approve a resolution on data protection in relation to the Tribunal of Inquiry set up this summer.

Mr Martin signed a Statutory Instrument in June to formally establish a Tribunal of Inquiry to examine the complaints processes in the Defence Forces on discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct which followed the Women of Honour documentary.

Government legal advice around the tribunal is that a Dáil resolution in required so the Tribunal can lawfully process data under the Data Protection Act.

Gender recognition 

Also at Cabinet, Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys,  had the Government note the 2023 annual report under section 6 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 which shows that the number of gender recognition certificates issued during 2023 was 341. 

By the end of 2023, some 1,582 applications have been made since the commencement of the Act in 2015. During 2023, 186 people were granted gender recognition certificates in another jurisdiction registered on the Register of Gender Recognition.