Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The correspondence from the Department of Finance clearly states that there may be a misinterpretation of the relevant parts of the Credit Union Act on behalf of the petitioner. I suggest that we await the petitioner’s response in case a more detailed analysis of the Act is required. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Next, we will deal with P00029/24, which is titled "Ireland, Open up an emergency admission program for Sudanese people fleeing war" and is from the Sudanese community in Ireland. This petition calls on the Irish Government to provide a safe haven for the Sudanese people affected by the ongoing war in Sudan. The Sudanese community in Ireland is urging the Government to introduce an emergency admission programme specifically for Sudanese nationals. The implementation of this programme would ensure that Sudanese refugees fleeing war would receive the necessary resources and support to rebuild their lives and create a better future for themselves. The petition appeals for the consideration of the following groups related to Sudanese residents in Ireland: naturalised Irish citizens; UK, EU and EEA citizens originally from Sudan and living in Ireland; spouse or de facto; spouse or civil partner; adults and minor children; a related minor child without parents for whom they have parental responsibility, such as a sibling, orphan niece, nephew or grandchild; parents; grandparents; and adult siblings or any other vulnerable adult who is a close family member who does not have a spouse, partner or other close relatives to support them. The petitioner believes that Ireland has a longstanding tradition of providing refuge to those in need and hopes that the Irish Government will recognise the urgency of this situation and take swift action to support the Sudanese people affected by the war.

The background to this petition is that the secretariat sought the views of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Justice and received their responses on 26 February 2024 and 12 March 2024, respectively. The recommendation of the committee is to publish the responses from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice, and that the responses from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice are forwarded to the petitioner for comment within 14 days. Do members have any views on that?

I agree with that.