Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Bell for taking the time to come down and brief us on the great work done by the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust in memory of his son. I have a couple of questions if that is okay. In the presentation Mr. Bell mentioned that the trust has attained charitable status in Northern Ireland but the application in the Republic is still in process. Will Mr. Bell advise us as to its status and how long it has been with the charities regulator? Mr. Bell's request for some funding is something I would certainly support. We were advised by the consular division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that it does not have a fund per sebut there is a grant available through the emigrant support programme. That might be something.

Has the trust applied? If so, at what stage is the application or has it been decided on?

I thank Mr. Bell for coming in and I thank the trust for all of the work it does on behalf of families at a difficult time when a tragedy unfortunately occurs.