The Deputy's attention is drawn to the responses to his Parliamentary Questions No. 142 of 9 May last and No. 130 of 4 April last which stated that, in respect of Ireland's resettlement programme, refugees are identified and proposed to Ireland by the UNHCR. They must meet the criteria set out in Article 1F of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (“the Geneva Convention”) and be deemed eligible for resettlement by the UNHCR. Refugees are interviewed by officials of my Department to establish that Ireland can meet their particular needs, including medical needs. They are also interviewed by members of An Garda Síochána and their fingerprints are checked against international databases for security reasons.
Resettlements in Mullingar are expected to take place during the Summer.