Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Several weeks ago, I had a Commencement matter about the Snunu family - a Syrian woman, Nouralhuda, and her three children, Ahmet, Mohamed and Rital. Rital is a little girl; she is only three years old. They have been detained in Kuala Lumpur International Airport since May in a small room with a hole in the ground for toileting. The temperature is over 30°C with massive humidity. They are under threat of deportation to Damascus, where they will face execution. There is no doubt about that. Nouralhuda's brothers and her parents are all Irish citizens. They live in the Carlow area. I brought this to the attention of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, through the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and the House a few weeks ago. They were on the point of deportation. My office has been in daily and weekly contact with the Malaysian Embassy and the authorities in Kuala Lumpur. I feel we are on our own. This family is on the point of deportation to Damascus. All they need is their visa application and appeal to be processed by the Department of Justice but it is not happening. I am terrified that they will be deported and face death. The children's heads have been shaved in the last few weeks and they have been beaten - a three-year-old girl is being beaten. Her Irish family, the Snunus, have businesses all around Carlow and make a great contribution to this State. They are pleading with us. They were in Leinster House a few weeks ago. Kitty Holland covered the story in The Irish Times. All of them were weeping. I do not know what to say but I prevail upon the Leader, if she has any influence with the Ministers, to please ask them to expedite their visa so that this woman and her children can be reunited with their family.

Another issue I wish to raise is the Department of Social Protection's Green Paper on disability reform. I saw an ad on the side of the bus that stated Aldi has the best value turkey for Christmas. This is the biggest turkey this side of Christmas. The disability reform Green Paper is a travesty. I remind the House that I tabled a Private Members' debate on the issue. It proposes to medically categorise disabled citizens on their capacity to work. This is an austerity measure that has been completely discredited in the UK, which our officials in the Department of Social Protection have photocopied. It flies in the face of the aspirations and ambitions set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We will have a peaceful protest on Thursday outside the Dáil between 12 noon and 2 p.m. I ask Members to come out and meet the disabled citizens who are terrified by this.It is a retrograde, Dickensian, instrumentalist view of disabled citizens that is the essence of ableism. It has to be dropped. It is going to bring the Government into disrepute. I ask it to desist.