Vol. 472 No. 6
168 Mr. O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice the current position regarding an application for refugee status by persons (details supplied); whether she will accept that the said applicants are refugees within the meaning of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees, as amended by the 1967 New York Protocol; when a decision will be notified to the applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23775/96]
The applications to which the Deputy refers are currently being examined in accordance with procedures agreed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, to see if the applicants qualify as refugees under the terms of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees as amended by the 1967 New York Protocol thereto.
While the question as to whether they qualify for refugee status remains to be determined, I expect that decisions on the applications will be made in the near future.
