Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 December 2017
233. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the way in which the more than 500 family reunification cases recently announced to be accepted will work with regard to the locations from which the cases were selected; the location in which they will reside; the entitlements they will receive in terms of work and social welfare; and the timeframe for same. [51523/17]
View answerOn Tuesday 14th November, 2017, my colleague, the Minister for State with special responsibility for Equality, Immigration and Integration, David Stanton T.D., and I, announced a new family reunification scheme in support of refugees and their families as part of the Government’s commitments under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme.
I will operate this humanitarian admission programme under my Ministerial discretionary powers and it will be in addition to the family reunification provision provided for in the International Protection Act 2015.
The scheme will focus on immediate family members from current conflict zones. The detailed workings of the scheme are currently being developed by officials in my Department in consultation with UNHCR and other stakeholders. While the details of the system are currently being developed, I do not wish to speculate on those details. It is envisaged, however, that those who arrive to Ireland under the Family Reunification Humanitarian Admission Programme (FRHAP) will have similar entitlements to beneficiaries of the provisions of family reunification provided for in the International Protection Act 2015.
Additional details on the operation of the programme will be announced on the websites of the Department of Justice and Equality (www.justice.ie) and the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (www.inis.gov.ie ) in the coming period.
