Minister unable to provide the number of asylum rejections based on false claims-Ken O’Flynn
Minister unable to provide the number of asylum rejections based on false claims-Ken O’Flynn
Independent Ireland Chairman Ken O’Flynn has said he finds it “extremely difficult” to accept the rationale put forward by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan regarding the ministers inability to provide data on the number of international protection applications since 2020 that have been refused, withdrawn, or deemed inadmissible following concerns about fabricated, coached, or inconsistent testimony during the application process.
The Cork North-Central TD who had submitted a series of detailed parliamentary questions on the matter, also asked the minister to provide this data on an annual basis. However, no commitment to do so was offered by him in his reply.
Deputy O’Flynn added, “The system is being gamed. We know it. They know it. It is an open secret that NGO’s operating in this space know it. The only one who doesn’t seem to know exactly how deep and how wide the scam of false and fabricated testimony goes is the minister and the department tasked with overseeing the entire process.”
“Minister O’Callaghan tells me that the information I requested on the reasons given for refusal of international protection is “not recorded in a manner that allows the information to be extracted from the relevant databases.”
“If that is the case, which I strongly doubt, then why did he not offer any assurance that he would rectify this information deficit by putting in place information extraction protocols for next year? What is it that justifies this level of reluctance beyond an unwillingness to be straight with the Irish taxpayer about the integrity of the asylum application process?”
“We know that the accommodation side of the asylum is rotten with rip-offs. Is the same true at the initial end of the process; I believe we all know the answer to that.”
“The minister must commit to improving the detailed nature of information that should by right be made available to the Irish public. After all, they are the ones paying for the asylum industry by the billions and on an annual basis.”
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2025-10-02/365/#pq_365
