Vol. 530 No. 5
154 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if residency status will be offered to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; if so, when; if she can obtain a work permit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4400/01]
The Refugee Act, 1996, as amended by the Immigration Act, 1999 and the Illegal Immigrants Trafficking Act, 2000, was commenced in full on 20 November 2000. Under the Act, two independent statutory offices were established to consider applications-appeals for refugee status and to make recommendations to the Minister on whether such status should be granted.
These two offices are the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, which will consider applications for a declaration as a refugee at first instance and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal which will consider applications for a declaration at appeal stage.
A decision on the application in question will be made as soon as possible.
In general, asylum seekers are not allowed to work pending consideration of their applications for refugee status and, in this regard, I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Questions No. 61 and 152 of 7 February 2001.
