The plans to add the five further countries will be considered by the Government at Cabinet on Tuesday

International protection applications from these countries will now be expedited.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the asylum system should not be used as a ‘back way to economic migration’

The move is being considered to ensure more international protection applications are processed faster.

Helen McEntee has told fellow ministers that she plans to add more countries to the current list of eight safe countries and will have a memo ready to go to the Government for sign-off in the coming weeks.