David Norris (Independent)

The Minister has been very helpful. It was useful that he drew our attention to the capacity of parents to engage in the process of naturalisation of their children after they have been adjudged to have refugee status or to become Irish citizens.

The Minister said I asked that the period during which the parent or parents had been in Ireland while their refugee status was being determined should be regarded as part of their permanent residency. That is obviously what it is. They start in year one, make their application, it is adjudged that they have been refugees since year one and they continue to live in Ireland without a break. I consider that as part of their permanent residency because they are here, they make the application, they stayed all that time and they have not gone anywhere. This means they have been permanently resident in the State. I do not see any illogicality in that.

I do not think there is an element of retrospection in the area I was examining because what the State is determining is not that someone became a refugee on 15 April when the decision was handed down, but that he or she was entitled to refugee status from the time of arrival in the State. I accept what the Minister said that there is not practical discrimination in many cases because the parents have a right to use the naturalisation process, which was a useful comment.