Micheál Martin
Question:67. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of immigrants that Ireland has received from Syria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9986/16]
View answerTuesday, 17 May 2016
Questions (67)
Written answers
Since the commencement of the Syrian crisis Ireland has taken in Syrian nationals through a variety of specific measures, details of which are set out below. In the case of refugee resettlement some of those included are not of Syrian nationality but were persons in Syria and displaced on account of the ongoing conflict there and have been included on that basis.
Under the EU resettlement initiative, in 2015 a total of 176 refugees displaced by the Syrian conflict were admitted from Jordan and from Lebanon. The nationalities were Syrian, Iraqis that were refugees in Syria, Syrian Iraqis and Syrian Palestinians. This year a further 100 Syrians have been admitted from Lebanon with 10 more due to arrive on Tuesday 17th May and additional numbers are expected later this year. These numbers are part of the overall commitment of the Government to take a total of 520 refugees under this EU initiative. In addition, under the National Resettlement Programme, in 2013 a total of 36 refugees were admitted of which 31 Afghan refugees were admitted from Damascus and 5 Palestinians were admitted from Syria as a medical case. The Afghans were refugees in Syria and were displaced once again by the Syrian conflict and were admitted under an EU funded project. In 2014 a further 89 refugees, displaced by the Syrian conflict, were admitted from Jordan.
Under the EU Relocation Programme, Ireland is committed to taking over 2,500 persons seeking asylum in Greece and Italy to have their applications for asylum processed in Ireland. It is expected that many of the overall total will be Syrian nationals. A total of 10 Syrians have arrived to-date from Greece with a further 31 Syrians expected to arrive in the coming weeks. A pledge for a further 40 has been submitted to Greece and is being progressed. A pledge of 20 was also made to Italy by Ireland, however, some procedural issues require to be resolved before these can proceed.
Overall, the position is that Ireland remains committed to the pledges it has made. While the initial pace of implementation has been slow due to operational issues in Greece and Italy, numbers are expected to increase significantly in the coming months as these issues are resolved.
The Syrian Humanitarian Admissions Programme (SHAP) was introduced in March 2014 and closed April 2014. This programme allowed naturalised Irish citizens of Syrian birth and Syrian nationals already lawfully residing in the State, to apply for vulnerable close family members, present in Syria or who have fled from Syria to surrounding countries since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2011 to join them here on a temporary basis for up to two years. Those admitted under the Programme are entitled to work, establish a business, or invest in the State. A key condition of the SHAP is that these persons should not become a burden on the state. A total of 44 applications involving 119 beneficiaries were approved .
Overall, there were a total of 446 Syrian nationals registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau at the end of 2015. The number legally resident here would be higher as persons under the age of 16 are not required to register. This figure would also exclude persons who have applied for asylum or subsidiary protection.