Vol. 546 No. 5
249 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of asylum seekers who have been given permission to remain here in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32447/01]
From 1 January to 30 November 2001 permission to remain has been granted to a total of 2722 current or former asylum seekers. Of these, 2398 were granted on the basis of their parentage of an Irish citizen child, 131 received permission on the basis of their marriage to an Irish national and 127 were granted on the basis of their marriage to an EU national. Some 66 were granted temporary leave to remain on various other grounds, including humanitarian ones.
It is also of course the case that any asylum applicant who is granted refugee status is entitled to remain in the State in accordance with the provisions of the Refugee Act, 1996. Some 860 persons were granted such status during the period referred to above.
