Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy. I, and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, also recognise and acknowledge the contributions that migrants and their families bring to our economy and our society as a whole. The Minister's Department is committed to ensuring we provide legal pathways for economic migration that are fair, efficient and responsive to the needs of the economy. While the Minister cannot pre-empt the changes to be introduced to his Department's family reunification policy until that review has been concluded, he can assure the Deputy that he is acutely aware that join-family applications are hugely important for those families impacted and that he is committed to improving the service his Department provides. I will relay what the Deputy has said to the Minister.

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