Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is mór liom gur thug an Cathaoirleach an deis seo dom, go háirithe toisc go bhfuil ceist tábhachtach le plé agam inniu. Many of us have had New Zealand in our minds recently because of the appalling outrage of the murder of 50 people at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre. It is appropriate to remember Ireland's affinity with New Zealand, on account of the emigration of our people to that country and similarities between the two countries in agriculture and the food industry. I learned recently that there are 600,000 people of Irish ancestry in that country, with 18,000 relocating from Ireland between 2011 and 2015 during the worst of the recession.

Perhaps because of that close affinity, I felt all the more shocked to hear of the case of an Irish family, the Suhinthan family, and its experience with the New Zealand authorities. Their mother, Nilani, is an IT consultant and the father a computer engineer. Unfortunately for Ireland, Nilani was headhunted for a high-paying job in New Zealand and the family decided to move there, as was their right.She moved to Auckland in September on an interim visa and the intention was that the rest of the family would follow later. Preparing for that move has cost them approximately €15,000 to date. The New Zealand authorities issued residency permits to her, her husband and two of her three daughters but they were refused a permit for their third daughter, Bumikka, who is 15. Shockingly, the reason for this seems to be that she has Down's syndrome. As a result, the New Zealand authorities have told the family that she does not have "an acceptable standard of health" and that this would place demands on the health and education systems there. The family have made it clear that they do not expect the New Zealand state to fund any special health treatment or educational supports for their daughter and they have offered to fund that themselves but their appeal was refused in recent days and they are now in limbo with their family separated.

I accept, and I am sure the Leader would agree, that each country has the right to regulate its own immigration laws as it sees fit but, on the other hand, this is a situation where we have to ask what it says about a society that would welcome a highly-skilled couple with open arms and two of that couple's daughters but turn away their third daughter purely because she has Down's syndrome.

The New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, in her speech at the Christchurch commemoration recently, stated:

Racism exists, but it is not welcome here. Assaults on faith and religion are not welcome here. Extremism in all its forms is not welcome here.

Listening to her speak and learning of the Suhinthan family's case, I am wondering if she could have added, "A child with Down's syndrome is not welcome here".

Does the Leader agree that the turning away of an Irish child from the borders of a country on such grounds is truly reprehensible and is not reflective of a tolerant society, if that is the reason? Can we have the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in the House to see whether the Government has examined this issue closely and whether it has anything to say or do in what must be a very upsetting situation for the Suhinthan family?

That is the information I have based on the facts as best I know them and have received them. It is a truly disturbing situation if it is as I have said. I would be delighted to be reassured if there is any positive development in that case or if I have misunderstood any aspect of it but, sadly, on the basis of all the reports I have read, I do not believe that I have. It is a disturbing situation.