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Asylum Applications.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 September 2004

Thursday, 30 September 2004

Ceisteanna (234)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ceist:

235 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the Government will consider offering asylum to a person (details supplied) in view of their ongoing prosecution by the Israeli Government since their release from prison after serving an 18 year sentence. [23163/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Any application of this nature would have to be dealt with within the present statutory framework governing asylum seekers and refugees, namely, the Refugee Act 1996 which, inter alia, is the legislative mechanism through which the State meets its obligations under the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees.

Section 8(1) of the 1996 Act imposes an obligation on the State to accept applications for a declaration of refugee status from persons who arrive at the frontiers of the State or persons who are at any time in the State. No provision is made for the acceptance of applications from persons outside the jurisdiction. The person concerned is currently resident in Israel.

Section 24 of the Refugee Act 1996, which deals with programme refugees, provides , inter alia, for the admission to the State of a person to whom leave to enter and remain for protection or resettlement, as part of a group of persons, has been given by the Government and whose name is entered in a register established and maintained by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Such persons are usually admitted as part of Ireland’s annual programme refugee quota of up to ten cases, categorised as vulnerable persons, which are selected based on a submission from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees following an objective analysis of the status of the persons concerned by the UNHCR and the need for resettlement as a durable solution.

I refer the Deputy to the reply of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to Question No. 326 on 29 September 2004, in which he indicated that the Government will continue to monitor the position of the person referred to in the Deputy's question.

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