TRENDS IN MIGRATION TO IRELAND OF NATIONALS OF COUNTRIES WITH VISA LIBERALISATION AGREEMENTS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION. ESRI SURVEY AND STATISTICAL REPORT SERIES, August 2019

The synthesis report presents an analysis of the impact in terms of direct and indirect benefits, as well as challenges. Tourism is considered a direct benefit, as tourism is one of the purposes of a short-stay visa. There was a rise in tourists from the visa-free countries after visa liberalisation across the EU Member States, although the numbers were modest in the context of overall tourism numbers to the EU. Residence permits for work or study reasons were considered an indirect benefit – as these are not purposes of stay for a short-stay Schengen visa, though a short stay could ultimately influence a longer stay for one of these reasons. The synthesised findings show that the number of residence permits issued to nationals of the visa-free countries more than doubled since 2008, and most of these were issued for employment reasons. Therefore, the report suggests that visa liberalisation could be a facilitator to labour market access. However, a similar link was not found for student migration or for entrepreneurship (EMN, 2019)

RETURNING REJECTED ASYLUM SEEKERS: PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN IRELAND. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 65 JULY 2017

The purpose of this study is to map the process of return, to their countries of origin, of applicants for international protection who have had their application rejected in Ireland. The study sets out to examine the challenges regarding effective return of rejected applicants to their countries of origin and policies and practices to overcome these challenges. The study was originally prepared as the national contribution to the European Migration Network (EMN) study, The Return of rejected asylum seekers: Challenges and good practices (European Migration Network, 2016b). The impetus to undertake the EMN study arose from the exponential increase in the number of applications for international protection (asylum) in the EU since 2014, and the consequent increase in the number of rejected applications. The European Commission has stated that, in 2014, less than 40% of the total number of irregular migrants ordered to leave the EU departed effectively (European Commission, 2015, p. 2). The aim behind the EU-level study was to examine the challenges faced by Member States in returning third-country nationals, who have had their applications for international protection rejected, to third countries, and to examine approaches taken by Member States to address these challenges

ANNUAL REPORT ON MIGRATION AND ASYLUM 2018: IRELAND. SURVEY AND STATISTICAL REPORT SERIES NUMBER 84 November 2019

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of trends, policy developments and significant debates in the area of asylum and migration during 2018 in Ireland

Annual report on migration and asylum 2019: Ireland. ESRI Survey and Statistical Report Series 102 December 2020.

The Annual Report on Migration and Asylum 2019: Ireland provides an overview of trends, policy developments and significant debates in the area of migration and international protection during 2019 in Ireland. Some important developments in 2019 included: The General Scheme for an Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill was published during 2019. The General Scheme includes proposals for a seasonal employment permit and a special circumstances employment permit. In December 2019, the establishment of the Expert Group on the Provision of Support, including Accommodation, to Persons in the International Protection Process (Asylum Seekers), chaired by Dr Catherine Day, former Secretary General of the European Commission was announced. Ireland announced plans to resettle up to 2,900 refugees under a new phase of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme between 2020 and 2023 at the Global Refugee Forum on 18 December 2019. Community Sponsorship Ireland was launched as a national programme on 11 November 2019. Community Sponsorship provides an alternative resettlement stream involving community groups providing supports to arriving refugee. Ireland abolished its re-entry visa system for holders of an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) or the former Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) card with effect from 13 May 2019. The Migrant Integration Strategy 2017–2020: Progress Report to Government was published in June 2019. Key figures for 2019: According to Eurostat, some 168,297 residence permits were valid in Ireland as of 31 December 2019, an increase of 18.2 per cent over the total of 142,286 valid residence permits at the end of 2018. Net inward migration for non-EU nationals at April 2020 is estimated at 19,000. The number of newly arrived immigrants decreased slightly year on year to 85,400 at end April 2020 from 88,600 at end April 2019. A total of 137,207 visas, both long and short stay, were issued in 2019. A total of 16,383 employment permits were issued during 2019, an increase of 22 per cent over the 2018 total of 13,398. As in 2018, India was the top nationality, with 5,373 permits. The International Protection Office (IPO) received 4,781 applications for international protection in 2019, an increase of 30.2 per cent from the 3,673 applications in 2018. Ireland’s applications accounted for 0.64 per cent of the total 745,255 applications made in the EU-28 countries in 2019. A total of 298 deportation orders were effected in 2019. Some 255 third-country nationals availed of voluntary return, 106 of whom were assisted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A total of 42 suspected victims of trafficking were identified during 2019

Sexual selection: Symmetry, inbreeding and mate choice in Trinidadian guppies

This thesis investigates whether asymmetry has a role in sexual selection in guppies. This is potentially interesting because it might illuminate whether the cues used in female mate choice correlate with male quality (the "good genes" hypothesis) or purely "aesthetic" choice. Guppies are well suited to investigations of mate choice as males have prominent sexual pigments which females use in mate choice decisions. Theory predicts that the symmetry of secondary sexual characters could indicate the quality of the male, as it is widely thought that fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a sensitive indicator of developmental stress. Sexual coloration in guppies was found to be sensitive to genetic stress caused by-inbreeding. Several traits showed indications of inbreeding depression. Pigment areas and numbers of spots and colours all decreased with inbreeding. The response of different pigments was highly correlated with their importance to females in each population. Display rate and swimming performance also showed signs of inbreeding depression. The evidence on these traits is consistent with the "good genes" hypothesis. But there was no difference in pigment FA between inbred and control fish. This provides no evidence that genetic stress is reflected particularly well by FA. Females did not prefer outbred males, but preferred high display frequency above other cues. However, if display rate was controlled, females of both populations preferred males with symmetrical patterns when given choices between males differing in spot symmetry - but this is unusual FA as this concerned unpaired characters. Spot asymmetry showed no response to inbreeding and thus was a poor indicator of male condition. This cue appears to support the "aesthetic choice" hypothesis. Overall, this evidence suggests that most (but not all) traits preferred by females are good indicators of male quality. There was no evidence that any form of symmetry correlated with male condition

Decision-making and the role of feedback in complex tasks

This thesis investigates the process of decision-making in relation to complex tasks and considers the important role which dynamic information and real-time feedback play in shaping response behaviour and adaptation within such environments. Through empirical studies, the thesis explores the extent to which decision-makers can be said to act rationally when challenged by complex decision-making environments. Evidence relating to demand for information and the impact of feedback on behaviour is provided with two studies: The first uses a simulated auction platform to examine behaviour within overlapping auctions of short duration with close-to-identical items and minimal participation costs. Mouse tracking is used to capture data on relevant interactions of participants with the simulated online platform, including switching behaviour independent of bidding. The resulting data suggests that participants did behave in a manner consistent with utility maximisation, seeking to acquire the item at the lowest possible price and showing no bias in terms of auction preference. The impact of fixed-price offers in the form of a “Buy it Now” option is also examined with some evidence that participants again seek, and respond to, current information when deciding on their bidding strategy. The second study is a test of the impact of real-time feedback and demand for information within the context of financial markets. The study again uses a novel simulated environment which provides access to considerable amounts of relevant data which participants can choose to access. In addition, participants are exposed to regular feedback with regard to their own performance. Overall, demand for information is found to be dependent upon the type of feedback received and its context. Decision-makers then appear to behave objectively, apparently seeking the latest available information to support current decisions, although investor style is found to be important in determining overall trading propensity. The thesis starts by considering a number of the foundations and pathways which run through the judgment and decision-making literature. It is not a complete description, review or analysis of all of the prevailing lines of enquiry. Nevertheless, it seeks to achieve coherence in terms of bringing together some of the key themes dealing with risky choice under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity. The field of judgment and decision-making is inevitably vast; its scope owing much to the fact that it transcends individual disciplines. The emergent behavioural sciences thus draw together important strands from various sources, notably Economics and Finance. In many areas, psychological traits can be applied to explain inconsistencies which are found in classical theory of rational behaviour. The recognition of behavioural traits has thus contributed greatly to the evolution of decisionmaking theories under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity which are, in many cases, substantially more adaptable and robust than early normative theories of rational behaviour. The classical approach to rational decision making within Economics, together with some theoretical and empirical challenges to it, are considered in Chapter 1. It is here that we are introduced to the Rational Man. Like the mythical creatures found in Classical Antiquity, the Rational Man does not actually exist in the real world; he is nevertheless central to the concept of utility maximising rational choice which provided much of the foundation of Economics. Developments of expected utility theory (EUT) are considered, including its replacement of expected value, and the formalisation of rational behaviour within the context of axioms. When those logical axioms apply, decision-makers can be said to behave 'as if' they are utility maximises. The chapter ends with some empirical evidence, showing the types of approaches often used to explore rational decision-making. Some violations of EUT are explored, both in relation to notional gambles and consistency with regard to revealed preferences. Chapter 2 extends the narrative by considering rational decision-making in cases where there is no objective information about possible outcomes. Subjective utility theory (SEU) is then introduced, describing objective functions based upon preferences derived from combined utility and probability functions. The implications of the Allais’ and Ellsberg paradoxes are discussed, along with some possible solutions. It is here that we explore the concepts of uncertainty and ambiguity in more details and consider some theoretical formulations for addressing them. Chapter 3 covers the significant contribution to decision-making under conditions of uncertainty provided by Prospect Theory and, later, Cumulative Prospect Theory (CPT). Their evolution from the pioneering work of Markowitz is discussed within the context of reference points relative to which outcomes can be evaluated. The significance of stochastic dominance and rank dependence are explored. By this stage, we have examined numerous theories which have fundamentally transformed standard EUT into much more flexible and adaptable frameworks of rational choice. The core concepts of utility maximisation remain yet the initial, strictly concave utility function describing diminishing marginal utility is now substantially replaced by more complex weighted preference functions. From this theoretical base, the process of choice reduction and the application of heuristics in decision-making are considered. We again describe axiomatic behaviour compatible with rational choice. Therefore, decision-makers faced with multiple choices about which there may be little or no objective information about likely outcomes can nevertheless develop rational beliefs and expectations which can then be applied to reduce complex tasks to more manageable proportions. As well as considering these aspects from the point of view of actual choices, we also consider the processes by which decisions are taken. Thus, process tracing methods are introduced into the discussion. The chapter also explicitly considers the role of feedback in decision making. This includes a consideration of Bayesian inference as a process for updating probabilistic expectations subject to new information. From considering theoretical formulations form which we can judge rational behaviour, Chapter 5 looks at evidence for sub-optimal decision-making and bias. Bias with regard to probability assessments are considered along with empirical evidence of bias in relation to intertemporal discounting. Sunk cost bias is also considered as a clear example of irrational behaviour, leading in to a specific discussion about a number of persistent behavioural biases identified within financial markets. As an introduction to later chapters, this also covers the basic theoretical principles of market efficiency and evidence that real markets fail to adhere to those principles in important ways. Chapters 6 and 8 describe the empirical studies with Chapter 7 providing a more detailed introduction to the financial markets experiment, considering aspects of market efficiency, models of behaviour and other empirical evidence

Speech and language therapy students’ experience of peer assisted learning:Undergraduates investigate PAL as a means of enhancing academic and professional development

The implementation of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) on healthcare courses in Higher Education Institutions has been explored in a number of studies. This paper presents research into the experience of PAL on a BSc Speech & Language Therapy (SLT) programme. The research was conducted by final year undergraduate SLT students to form the basis for their final dissertations. The focus for their research was on the effects of PAL on academic and professional development for both mentees and mentors on the same course. Data were generated from standard PAL evaluations and focus groups. Findings indicate that mentees benefit from PAL in terms of their university experience and learning. Mentors benefited from opportunities to develop and practice skills for their future employment. Engagement with PAL is attributed to its structured yet informal nature and the enthusiasm of the mentors. However, the collaborative nature of PAL takes time to develop, impacting on the behaviours of both mentees and mentors. Overall PAL offers mentees and mentors opportunities which enhance their academic learning and professional development

Parent Training in Interactive Book Reading: An Investigation of Its Effects with Families at Risk

This study investigated the efficacy of a parent training intervention on increasing the duration, frequency and quality of interactive book reading between six parents and their children. Dependent measures included self-reports of frequency and duration of parent-child interactive reading, coding of transcripts for reading quality, children’s pre-post PPVT-R performance, consumer satisfaction questionnaires, and assessment of treatment integrity. During treatment, five of six subjects improved in reading regularity and duration. Likewise, all subjects demonstrated improvements in the quality of interactive book reading with their children. Children’s PPVT-R performance also increased upon post-testing. Consumer satisfaction and treatment integrity were favorable. Study strengths and limitations, implications for school psychological practice, and future research questions are addressed

Parent Training in Interactive Book Reading: An Investigation of Its Effects with Families at Risk

This study investigated the efficacy of a parent training intervention on increasing the duration, frequency and quality of interactive book reading between six parents and their children. Dependent measures included self-reports of frequency and duration of parent-child interactive reading, coding of transcripts for reading quality, children’s pre-post PPVT-R performance, consumer satisfaction questionnaires, and assessment of treatment integrity. During treatment, five of six subjects improved in reading regularity and duration. Likewise, all subjects demonstrated improvements in the quality of interactive book reading with their children. Children’s PPVT-R performance also increased upon post-testing. Consumer satisfaction and treatment integrity were favorable. Study strengths and limitations, implications for school psychological practice, and future research questions are addressed

ESTABLISHING IDENTITY OF NON-EU NATIONALS IN IRISH MIGRATION PROCESSES. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 69 DECEMBER 2017

Establishing the identity of non-EEA nationals1 entering the EU is often the first step in determining eligibility for visas, certain residence or visitor permissions and permissions associated with international protection statuses. Establishing identity is an EU-level policy priority as set out in both the European Agenda on Security (European Commission, 2015a) and the European Agenda on Migration (European Commission, 2015b). No legal or overarching definition of ‘identity’ in the context of migration procedures exists in the majority of Member States. For the purposes of migration, identity is generally established by documents such as birth certificates, passports or other identity papers. Biometric identification refers to physical characteristics including fingerprints and digital facial images. Any individual wishing to enter Ireland, whether visa required or not, is subject to immigration controls at ports of entry. All non-EEA (both visa required and non-visa required) nationals require permission to enter Ireland upon arrival.2 Visa required non-EEA nationals must apply for a visa to travel to Ireland. However, an Irish visa is a form of pre-entry clearance to travel to a point of entry to the State only (Quinn, 2011). In almost all cases a passport or travel document is required in order for a non-EEA national to be issued a visa, to register in the State and to access the territory at the border. Protection applicants are not required to have a passport or travel document to access the asylum procedure. This study looks at the processes in place for establishing the identities of applicants for: short- and long-stay visas; residence and visitor permissions; international protection and permission to remain; and in relation to persons subject to a deportation order who have exhausted the asylum process. This study also looks at the process of establishing applicants’ identities at the point of access to the national territory