<p>
	Proposals come as latest figures show 250 people sought asylum in the State last month</p>
<p>
	Official figures to be published today will show 250 people sought asylum in Ireland last month.</p>
<p>
	The numbers so far this year &ndash; an average of 230 a month &ndash; are up significantly on the same period last year but remain relatively low in European terms.</p>
<p>
	The new figures come as the Government prepares to publish the report of a working group today which has been examining ways of improving the asylum system.</p>
<p>
	The report is expected to propose that new asylum seekers should have the right to work after nine months of seeking refugee status.</p>
<p>
	At present, Ireland is one of just two EU member states with a blanket working ban on all asylum seekers.</p>
<p>
	Another key proposal may lead to residency for more than 3,000 asylum seekers who have spent five years waiting for their claims to be dealt with by Irish authorities.</p>
<p>
	Many of the proposals hinge on the introduction of a new streamlined asylum process, aimed at processing claims within a six- to nine-month period.</p>
<p>
	The publication of the report comes at a time when there is an increased focus on the issue of immigration.</p>
<p>
	EU leaders agreed last week to take 40,000 migrants who are expected to land in Italy and Greece over the next two years .</p>
<p>
	The agreement, however, is on a voluntary basis and a number of EU member states have already signalled they will not participate.</p>
<p>
	While the Government has not yet made a formal decision on whether it will participate, T&aacute;naiste Joan Burton said earlier this week that Ireland should be ready to take its &ldquo;fair share&rdquo; of migrants.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;We will get the finer details of the procedures and examine them in detail,&rdquo; she told The Irish Times.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Broadly, we&rsquo;re agreeable to taking part in the arrangements and to take numbers that are appropriate to our size, population and resources.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	Applications</p>
<p>
	Figures to be published by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner later today are expected to show 250 people sought asylum during May, down slightly from 265 in April.</p>
<p>
	Officials expect in the region of 3,000 applications by the end of this year, up from 1,448 last year.</p>
<p>
	In European Union terms, Ireland has had a lower than average number of applications on a per capita basis.</p>
<p>
	Figures compiled by the UNHCR, the UN&rsquo;s refugee agency, show that between 2010 and 2014 Ireland received 1.4 asylum seekers per 1,000 population. This compares to an EU average of 3.5 per 1,000.</p>
<p>
	Sweden recorded the higher number (24 per 1,000 population), followed by Malta (17.5 per 1,000) and Luxembourg (12.6 per 1,000).</p>
<p>
	The recommendations of the working group report, meanwhile, could have a far-reaching impact on the lives of more than 4,000 people in the direct provision system and a further 4,000 asylum seekers living in the wider community.</p>
<p>
	The 10-member working group, chaired by Mr Justice Bryan MacMahon, included representatives from Government departments and non- governmental organisations.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/new-asylum-seekers-may-receive-right-to-work-1.2267308">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/new-asylum-seekers-may-receive-right-to-work-1.2267308</a></p>
