Brendan Howlin
Ceist:157 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applicants for asylum in the State who are unaccompanied minors. [5294/01]
Written Answers. - Asylum Applications.
Brendan Howlin
Ceist:177 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of unaccompanied minors who applied for asylum in 1998, 1999 and during each month of 2000. [5273/01]
Brendan Howlin
Ceist:178 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will state the statutory bodies which have responsibilities for unaccompanied minors; and the nature of their responsibilities in each case. [5274/01]
Brendan Howlin
Ceist:187 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the specific provision which is made for unaccompanied minors seeking refugee status. [5283/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 157, 177, 178 and 187 together.
In so far as the asylum process is concerned, the arrangements for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in Ireland are governed by the provisions of section 8(5) of the Refugee Act, 1996. Section 8(5)(f2>a) of the Act provides that "where it appears to an immigration officer or an authorised officer that a child under the age of 18 years, who has either arrived at the frontiers of the State or has entered the State, is not in the custody of any person, the officer shall, as soon as practicable, so inform the health board in whose functional area the child is and thereupon the provisions of the Child Care Act, 1991, shall apply in relation to the child".
Section 8(5)(f2>b) provides that "where it appears to the health board concerned, on the basis of information available to it, that an application for a declaration should be made by or on behalf of a child referred to in paragraph (f2>a), the health board shall arrange for the appointment of an officer of the health board or such other person as it may determine to make an application on behalf of the child".
If the health board decides that an application for a declaration as a refugee should be made on behalf of an unaccompanied minor, the application will be dealt with as a matter of priority by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner. The processing of applications for refugee status from unaccompanied minors has a number of child specific features and has regard to the UNHCR's guidelines on policies and procedures in dealing with unaccompanied children seeking asylum as well as the relevant paragraphs of the UNHCR's procedures handbook and the EU Council resolution on unaccompanied minors who are nationals of third countries, 26 June 1997. Unaccompanied minors are only interviewed in the presence of a health board representative – the question of appointment of such representatives is a matter for the health board.
Co-ordinated guidelines for dealing with unaccompanied minors asylum seekers are currently being developed in my Department in consultation with the Department of Health and Children, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal and representatives of the health boards. Under the provisions of the Refugee Act, 1996, the agencies with primary responsibility for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers are the health boards. The provision of specific services, such as health, education, social and community welfare services, are matters for the appropriate Departments and statutory agencies, in consultation with the health boards, and would be the responsibility of the individual Ministers concerned.
As regards the number of unaccompanied minors who applied for asylum in 1998, 1999 and during each month of 2000, the information made available to me by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner is set out in the following tabular statement:
|
Month/Yearof application |
No. of applications fromUnaccompanied Minors |
|
1998 |
2 |
|
1999 |
33 |
|
January 2000 |
12 |
|
February 2000 |
3 |
|
March 2000 |
14 |
|
April 2000 |
11 |
|
May 2000 |
14 |
|
June 2000 |
10 |
|
July 2000 |
23 |
|
August 2000 |
29 |
|
September 2000 |
49 |
|
October 2000 |
50 |
|
November 2000 |
40 |
|
December 2000 |
49 |
|
(Total for year 2000) |
(304) |
*It should be noted that of the above persons, 26 have since turned 18 and a further eight have been reunited with their family or guardians.
I have also been informed by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner that, as at 31 January 2001, there were 345 unaccompanied minors at first instance within the asylum system. The Office of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal informs me that two unaccompanied minors had appeals outstanding at that date.