Strategy Statement
2026 – 2029
OUR VISION: An appellate body delivering Independent Justice through fair and timely decisions
Foreword
Ireland’s international protection system is changing. The commencement of the EU Asylum Procedures Regulation (APR) 2024/1348 and the enactment of the International Protection Act 2026 have fundamentally reshaped the legislative landscape within which appeals are determined. In this context, the establishment of the Tribunal for Asylum and Returns Appeals (TARA) marks a decisive step forward: a purpose-built, independent appeals body with the expertise, structures and mandate to deliver justice at pace and at scale.
This Strategy Statement sets out who we are, what we stand for, and how we will build an Appeals Body that Ireland’s international protection system can rely on. It is grounded in our statutory functions, shaped by the people we serve, and guided by the values that will define our culture from day one.
Who We Are
Our Establishment
The Tribunal for Asylum and Returns Appeals (TARA) is an independent statutory body established under the International Protection Act 2026. We are Ireland’s Independent appeals body for international protection proceedings, giving effect to the right to an effective remedy guaranteed by Article 67 of the EU Asylum Procedures Regulation (APR) 2024/1348.
TARA is inquisitorial in nature and quasi-judicial in function. Our Appeals Officers are independent decision-makers who conduct a full and ex-nunc examination of both the facts and the law in every appeal. We are independent of government, independent of the International Protection Office, and independent of any other party to proceedings. That independence is the foundation of our mandate.
What We Determine
TARA determines appeals arising from first-instance decisions of the International Protection Office (IPO) in respect of:
- Standard procedure appeals
- Border procedure appeals
- Accelerated procedure appeals
- Implicit withdrawal cases
- Inadmissibility appeals
- Manifestly unfounded appeals
- Transfer decisions under the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR)
- Reception Conditions
- Restriction of freedom of movement
Vision, Mission and Purpose
OUR VISION
An appellate body delivering Independent Justice through fair and timely decisions
OUR MISSION
To deliver independent, impartial and expert appeal decisions without delay for people seeking international protection in Ireland.
Deciding every case on its merits with rigor and with respect for the fundamental human rights of asylum seekers.
OUR PURPOSE
To determine international protection and returns appeals, and related matters, independently, fairly and efficiently, ensuring that Ireland meets its obligations to those who seek its protectio
Our Values
These five values are the operating principles that govern how every Appeals Officer, every staff member, and TARA as an institution will conduct itself every day.
Independence
TARA is independent in its function.
Dignity
We treat every individual with humanity, sensitivity and respect for their fundamental rights and dignity.
Objectivity
Every appellant is entitled to impartial consideration of the merits of their case in accordance with the law. We weigh evidence rigorously and treat every person with equal respect.
Accountability
We are accountable to the law, to the people we serve, and to the public. We are transparent in our processes, ethical in our performance, and open to scrutiny.
Expertise
Sound decisions require deep knowledge. We invest in the expertise of our Appeals Officers and staff and hold ourselves to the highest professional standards.
Strategic Pillars 2026–2029
TARA’s strategy is built on five interconnected pillars. Each pillar has a clear purpose, a set of strategic objectives, and measurable outcomes. Together they describe what TARA will build, how it will operate, and what it will achieve by 2029.
1. Excellence in Decision-Making
Sound, consistent, legally authoritative decisions — every case, every time.
The quality of TARA’s decisions is our most fundamental responsibility. We will invest relentlessly in the expertise, tools and processes that produce legally sound, consistent and well-reasoned decisions.
Strategic Objectives:
- Recruit and develop Appeals Officers and decision-support staff with deep expertise in international protection law, EU asylum law, and country of origin evidence
- Establish a quality assurance framework for TARA decisions, including peer review, consistency checking, and learning from judicial review outcomes
- Build and maintain a TARA country of origin information (COI) research function, aligned with EUAA COI standards, that provides Appeals Officers with reliable, up-to-date evidence
- Develop and implement a comprehensive induction and continuing professional development programme for all Appeals Officers, aligned with the APR competency requirements for decision-makers
- Establish TARA’s jurisprudence: clear, internally consistent decision-making that reduces unnecessary judicial review and builds legal certainty in the protection system
2. Access to Justice
Every appellant has a genuine, effective opportunity to be considered.
An effective remedy is not a procedural formality, it is a substantive right. TARA has designed its processes, its communications, its facilities and its culture around the needs of the people we serve. As our needs evolve, we will continuously review and improve everything we do, ensuring that the way we work never becomes a barrier to the justice we deliver.
Strategic Objectives:
- Ensure that appellants have access to high-quality legal representation at the appeals stage, working with the Legal Aid Board.
- Provide interpretation services of the highest quality in all hearings, with mechanisms for appellants to raise concerns about interpretation quality
- Design TARA’s hearing facilities and processes to be accessible, trauma-informed, and appropriate for the full diversity of appellants, including survivors of torture, trafficking and gender-based persecution
- Make TARA’s Privacy Notices, procedural guides and key documents available in the languages most spoken by appellants, in plain language
- Establish a clear, accessible process for appellants to engage with TARA — to understand the status of their case, to make submissions, and to exercise their data protection rights
3. Timeliness and Operational Excellence
Just decisions delivered at the pace the law and appellants deserve.
Quality and excellence without delay are the cornerstone of how TARA operates. The International Protection Act 2026 sets clear procedural timelines. We have built operational processes that are efficient, well-governed and transparent.
Strategic Objectives:
- Ongoing design and refinement of the case management system ensuring it provides real-time visibility of caseload, timelines and outcomes, and supports seamless information exchange with the IPO and Courts Service
- Establish case processing pathways aligned with the procedural categories (standard, accelerated, border procedure, inadmissibility, AMMR), with clear and monitored timeline targets for each
- Achieve and sustain an average case processing time (from receipt of appeal to determination) within the limits set by the IP Act 2026 and TARA’s operational targets.
- Develop a workload management and resource allocation model that enables TARA to respond flexibly to fluctuations in case volumes without compromising quality
- Build a transparent scheduling process for oral hearings that minimises adjournments, makes efficient use of Appeals Officers and interpreter time, and provides appellants and their representatives with adequate notice
- Implement a continuous improvement culture: systematically review process bottlenecks, learn from delays, and implement improvements on an iterative basis
4. People, Culture and Capability
A skilled and motivated team to deliver our services.
TARA is its people. Our decision makers, our staff, our leadership — the quality of what we do flows directly from who we are and how we work together. We invest in building a culture where excellence, inclusion, wellbeing and continuous learning are our daily realities.
Strategic Objectives:
- Attract, recruit and retain Appeals Officers and staff of the highest calibre, with diversity of background, experience and perspective actively pursued as a strategic and operational requirement
- Develop a TARA leadership model and competency framework that defines what excellent leadership looks like at every level — from the CAO, Director to team leaders
- Implement a structured induction programme for all new Appeals Officers and staff, covering TARA’s mandate, values, procedures, data protection obligations and culture
- Establish a wellbeing programme that acknowledges the emotional weight of working with traumatic material and provides proactive, accessible support for Appeals Officers and staff
- Build TARA’s equality, diversity and inclusion framework, ensuring that our workforce reflects the society we serve and that every individual is treated with fairness and respect
- Create a performance and development culture: regular meaningful conversations, clear goals, recognition of excellence, and honest management of underperformance
5. Governance, Transparency and Accountability
A trusted institution: transparent, compliant and rigorously governed.
Trust in TARA must be earned and continuously maintained. That means governance structures that hold us to account in practice, not just in principle. Reporting that is honest about our performance, not just our achievements; and a commitment to data protection that is woven into how we operate. The nature of the data we hold demands rigorous governance. We build that into everything we do.
Strategic Objectives:
- Establish and maintain a fully operational Data Protection Officer (DPO) function with the independence, resources and authority required by Articles 37–39 GDPR, and a complete, audited data protection governance framework
- Maintain full compliance with TARA’s dual GDPR / LED data protection obligations, including separate ROPAs, DPIAs for all high-risk processing, and a live Data Protection Risk Register
- Publish an Annual Report each year, presenting data on case volumes, processing times, outcomes, judicial review results, data protection compliance, staff diversity and financial performance
- Develop and maintain TARA’s governance framework, including a Code of Conduct for Appeals Officers, and robust conflict of interest procedures
- Establish a structured stakeholder engagement programme: regular, formal engagement with the IPO, the Legal Aid Board, UNHCR Ireland, EUAA and the Department of Justice
- Ensure TARA’s information governance are fit for purpose and proportionate to the sensitivity oaf the data we hold, and regularly audited
Measuring Our Success
TARA will publish performance data quarterly and comprehensively in its Annual Report. The following key performance indicators (KPIs) will be tracked from the first full year of operation:
| KPI | How We Measure It | 2026–2027 Target |
|---|---|---|
| Decision quality | Judicial review rate; % upheld on JR; quality audit scores | ≤10% JR rate |
| Decision Review | Set aside rate vs affirmed cases | TBC |
| Timeliness – standard cases | Average calendar days from appeal receipt to determination | ≤12 weeks |
| Timeliness – accelerated cases | Average calendar days (accelerated procedure cases) | ≤8 weeks |
| Timeliness – Border Procedure | Average calendar days (Border procedure cases) | ≤ 26 days |
| Clearance rate | Decisions issued as % of appeals received (caseload sustainability) | ≥90% |
| Access to legal representation | % of appellants with legal representation at appeals | ≥90% |
| Hearing adjournment rate | % of scheduled hearings that are adjourned | ≤5% |
| Hearing Postponement rate | % of scheduled hearings that are postponed | ≤10% |
| Staff & Member satisfaction | Annual survey | TBC |
| DP compliance | % mandatory DP training completed; zero unnotified reportable breaches | 95% training to eliminate the chance of breaches |
| Data subject rights | % SAR responses within statutory 1-month deadline | 100% |
| Annual Report published | Published within 3 months of end of reporting year | On time, every year |
| Quality Audit Scores | TBC | TBC |
Delivery Roadmap
This Framework will be delivered in three phases across the four-year period 2026–2029:
| Phase | Period | Focus | Key Milestones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Build 2026 (Q1–Q3) | Establish TARA’s institutional foundations: people, governance, technology, data protection, legal framework. Stand up operations. Accept and begin determining first appeals. |
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| 2 | Consolidate 2026 (Q4)–2027 | Scale operations; build quality assurance; implement KPI monitoring and public reporting; conduct first annual compliance audit; publish inaugural Annual Report; review and adjust. |
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| 3 | Excel 2028–2029 | Sustain high performance; pursue continuous improvement; develop TARA’s jurisprudence; position TARA as a centre of expertise in European protection appeals; prepare the next strategic cycle. |
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