Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. Visits to Ireland by children from the Chernobyl region of Belarus have been continuing for more than 17 years. There are approximately 50 associations in Ireland involved in bringing to this country more than 2,500 children each year for rest and recuperation. I cannot praise too highly the selfless efforts of the many charities and families who respond so generously year after year. In recognition of the valuable work of one of the charities, Chernobyl Children's Project International, Irish Aid committed €600,000 over three years in March 2008 for the development of day care centres in Belarus.

The Belarusian authorities have frequently underlined their satisfaction with the welcome afforded the children in Ireland. However, as a result of the failure of a small number of children to return home from other states following recuperation visits, Belarus has proposed to a number of EU member states, including Ireland, formal agreements that would secure the welfare of the children and ensure their return to Belarus. Pending the conclusion of such agreements, the Belarusian Government indicated in late August that it would be suspending visits by Chernobyl children.

Securing the continuation of the Chernobyl children's visits to Ireland is of considerable importance to me as it is to the host families and I am determined to bring the matter to a successful conclusion. As soon as I learned about the suspension of visits, I met Ms Adi Roche of Chernobyl Children's Project International on 8 September to hear her concerns at first hand. I asked Ireland's ambassador to Moscow, who is also accredited to Belarus, to travel to Minsk the following day to register the Government's strong concern about the suspension of the children's visits in the absence of a formal agreement. I have subsequently met other organisations, including the one headed by Mr. Liam Grant in the south east.

On 11 September, at my invitation, the chargé d'affaires of the Belarusian Embassy in London travelled to Dublin. We confirmed to him that we would work with the Belarusian authorities to arrive at an agreement between our two Governments that would provide a framework for future visits. There followed an intensive series of exchanges at official level in September and early October and a revised draft agreement was forwarded by my Department to the Belarusian authorities on 6 October. A response to this requesting further information was received from Belarus on 16 October.

In the meantime, I met the Belarusian Foreign Minister, Sergei Martynov, in Luxembourg on 13 October. During a cordial exchange, I expressed the Government's strong hope that, even if negotiations with the Belarusian Government were not fully concluded, visits by the Chernobyl children to Ireland would be allowed to go ahead over Christmas.

In a separate but related development, however, the Irish ambassador in Moscow was informed by the Belarusian authorities on 16 October that a presidential decree had been signed covering travel by Belarusian children overseas. The decree completely blocks such visits to countries where there is no bilateral agreement. Regarding countries that conclude agreements after 1 October, it limits visits to those children between the ages of seven and 14 and the number of visits to any one country to a maximum of three. Those countries with agreements that were concluded in advance of that date have no such restrictions. There is only one such country.

Following consultations with a number of Chernobyl non-governmental organisations, it was decided that the presidential decree also needed to be addressed in the terms of our draft agreement. On 24 October, my Department replied to the Belarusian note of 16 October and proposed a method of doing this. A response attaching a new draft of the agreement was received through our embassy in Moscow late on 14 November. The text of the revised agreement is being examined closely by officials in my Department and in the Office of the Minister for Children in consultation with the Attorney General's office and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. An interdepartmental meeting will be held the day after tomorrow to determine our response. In addition, at a meeting of the Government this morning, I secured the formal consent of colleagues to the signature of the agreement once negotiations have concluded. It is intended to forward our response to Minsk without delay with a view to finalising the negotiations at the earliest possible date. Officials are on standby to go to Minsk if required. I am also ready to intervene further at the political level if necessary.

My Department has received positive indications from Belarusian officials that visits by children from Belarus can continue while the negotiating process is ongoing. I hope that these indications can be confirmed with the Belarusian Government in the coming days. Close contact is being maintained with the charities dealing with Chernobyl children as the situation evolves and I am determined to find a satisfactory outcome to this issue.

We are at the penultimate stage in this delicate process and we have worked closely with all of the groups to resolve the issue together. The response to the process has been positive. I understand people's concerns but there is a need for patience on all sides. We will do everything possible to arrive at a satisfactory solution in respect of this matter.

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