Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The situation in Venezuela is going from bad to worse. The leader of that Parliament has had his bank accounts frozen and he has been banned from foreign travel. We are seeing Mr. Maduro putting on the heavy hand to shore up his highly discredited regime. Venezuela is facing a humanitarian crisis and it is endangering the lives of Venezuelans due to severe food and medical shortages as we know. Some 61% of the people in that country are living in extreme poverty. Due to the massive shortages of necessary medicines it is medical hell for anybody with a severe medical condition.

Last week I met with representatives of the Venezuelan community in Ireland who gathered outside the Dáil. They want the Government to take a particular interest in their country's crisis and in the challenges facing their people at home and abroad. Some 3 million people have emigrated from Venezuela since 2014. This situation impacts, not just on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade's brief, but also on the Minister for Justice and Equality's brief. The Venezuelan people in Ireland want the Government to recognise that Venezuela is facing a humanitarian crisis that is endangering the lives of Venezuelans due to severe food and medical shortages. They want to see our Government implement the UNHCR guidance notes on the outflow of Venezuelans. This is where the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, comes in with regard to the particular needs of Venezuelans in Ireland due to the crisis in their country and with regard to the recognition and status within the country. They also want the Government to recognise Juan Guaidó, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as the new and legitimate interim President, pending elections. They wonder what the hell Sinn Féin was doing sending two members to be present at the inauguration of this bizarre person who has been running his country into the ground in the most bizarre of ways. On this occasion it would be good if our Ministers spoke for Ireland and that we did not just wait for the EU to speak for Ireland. I would be very grateful to the Leader if we could have some response from the Government to this emerging and developing crisis in early course.