Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2012
765. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his policy regarding the provision of refugee status to Syrian nationals fleeing Aleppo via Turkey; if any provision exists for granting refugee status to family members in Syria of persons already granted refugee status here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47572/12]
View answerIn Ireland, the Refugee Act 1996 (as amended), the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations 2006, the European Communities (Asylum Procedures) Regulations 2011 and the Refugee Act 1996 (Asylum Procedures) Regulations 2011 are the principal domestic legal instruments which reflect current national policy in the area of asylum.
Asylum applications are not generally accepted from persons present in other countries as our refugee law is based on applications for asylum being made in the State. Specifically, section 8 of the Refugee Act, 1996 provides that any person who arrives at the frontiers of the State, or any person who at any time is in the State seeking the status of a refugee may apply to the Minister for a declaration of refugee status. It is a generally accepted principle internationally, and one which Ireland applies, that a person should seek asylum in the first safe host country in which they arrive. The granting of refugee status in Ireland is considered in accordance with the definition contained in the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by the 1967 New York Protocol thereto, and as defined in section 2 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended). Any Syrian national who arrives in the State and who seeks protection will have his or her application considered in the context of the above mentioned legal framework. In 2011, 9 asylum applications were received from persons claiming to be from Syria. In 2012, 13 applications have been received to date.
A person who has been granted refugee status in the State, or who having failed to secure that status is granted subsidiary protection status, is entitled to make a family reunification application to the Minister for permission for a family member to enter and to reside in the State.
