Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has kindly extended the visa for the persons to whom this Adjournment matter refers, until June this year. However, the Department stated that any fresh application for a visa must be made from outside this country and, thus, the applicants must return to Pakistan to do so.

The son of this family is working here as a doctor. His mother and sister came here following the sudden death of the doctor's father in a car accident last year. Given that the family is a Christian one, the people concerned are apprehensive about returning to Pakistan to apply for their visas. They hope the Department would consider that they could make the visa applications here. It would be an exceptional request, but in light of their circumstances I hope the Minister and his Department might consider their request compassionately.