Vol. 509 No. 2
141 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason his Department has refused asylum status to a person (details supplied) from Angola who had to flee his native country due to a threat to kill him. [20113/99]
It is not the practice to comment publicly on individual applications for refugee status, having regard to the fact that applications by their nature are made in confidence with the expectation by the applicant that such confidence will be preserved.
The applicant was interviewed on 27 July 1998 and on 14 April 1999 and it was decided that he does not qualify as a refugee in accordance with the definition contained in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by the 1967 Protocol, and as defined in section 2 of the Refugee Act, 1996. A refugee is defined as a person who, owing to a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his or her former habitual residence, is unable or, owing to such fear is unwilling to return to it.
The applicant appealed this decision on 14 June 1999 and his appeal was heard on 8 September 1999 by an independent appeal authority. At this time, my Department is awaiting a recommendation from the appeal authority.
