Deputy ministry for migration and asylum approved

Parliament on Thursday gave the nod to the establishment of a deputy ministry for migration and asylum, hailed by the interior minister as a “milestone” for the country.

Creating the new ministry is seen as an important move given the uptick in arrivals of asylum seekers over the past few years.

The deputy ministry will bring all migration and asylum-related matters under one roof. This includes policy making.

Present in the House during the vote on the bill creating the deputy ministry was Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou.

In a prepared statement later, Ioannou welcomed the passage of the bill.

“Today marks a milestone for our country. The establishment of a deputy ministry for migration creates the foundation for more effective management of the migration issue,” the statement read.

Having all the services operate under the same department will have “substantive and practical” benefits, the minister added.

Earlier in the day, Constantinou said that within the past year there has occurred a 37 per cent drop in the arrivals of migrants and a 50 per cent decline in asylum applications.