Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 October 2004
265 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, further to Questions Nos. 399 of 18 November 2003 and 1028 of 29 September 2004, if he will make a decision in view of the circumstances (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23633/04]
View answerI have been informed by officials in the citizenship section of my Department that the application for naturalisation by the person in question is now in the final stages of processing and that it will be forwarded to me for a decision in the very near future. I will inform the Deputy and the person concerned as soon as I have reached a decision in this case.
266 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has proposals to regularise the position of non-national families of children born here prior to Supreme Court judgments (details supplied) and the passing of the Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution; and, if so, his proposals in that regard. [23634/04]
View answerFollowing the decision of the Supreme Court on 23 January 2003 in the cases of L and O, which held that no automatic residency rights obtain in respect of non-national parents of Irish born children, the Government decided that the separate procedure which had then existed to enable persons to apply to reside in the State on the sole basis of parentage of an Irish born child would not apply to cases which were outstanding on 19 February 2003.
I would like to emphasise that the Government has stated that every outstanding claim to reside in the State on the basis of parentage of an Irish born child will be examined and decided individually in accordance with section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1999 as amended and section 5 of the Refugee Act 1996. These cases are currently being processed in a unit which was set up for this purpose. In examining these cases, factors such as family and domestic circumstances and humanitarian considerations are taken into account.
