David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs sends his apologies to the House. He is unable to be here so he asked me to address the matter. The Tánaiste thanks the Senator for bringing these cases to his attention. This is clearly a very difficult time for the families concerned. I commend the Senator for raising the matter in the way he did. Unfortunately, the Tánaiste is not in a position to comment on either case. As the Senator will appreciate, the question of obtaining visas for New Zealand or Australia is a matter for the relevant authorities in New Zealand and Australia. The Tánaiste understands that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not been asked by the families concerned to raise their cases with the governments of New Zealand and Australia.

All countries establish their own procedures and criteria for assessing such applications and there can be broad similarities of approach between like-minded countries. All visa applications in Ireland are considered on their own merits taking into account all matters brought to the attention of the visa deciding officer. If an applicant for a visa declared something that could be a burden on the costs of the State such as a medical condition, this would form part of the consideration of the application but it would not mean that it would automatically lead to a refusal. Non-EEA nationals who register in the State require full medical insurance, which would be expected to cover all current medical conditions.

It can be assumed that similar considerations are taken into account by authorities in Australia and New Zealand. While recognising the difficulties faced by the families, I hope the Senator can appreciate that it is not possible for the Tánaiste or me to comment on their specific cases or pass comment on the visa procedures applied by other sovereign states.