Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government proposes to support the position taken by Senator Edward Kennedy, whereby the senator proposed that the 292 Montserratians to be expelled from the United States of America following the Department of Homeland Security's decision to revoke the temporary protected status of these persons should be granted permanent residency status or at least that the decision to expel these persons be reversed; the support the Irish Government proposes to give these persons, in particular due to the linkages and unique connection between Ireland and Montserrat and the frequent visits to Ireland by, among others, Montserratian Ministers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7691/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that the Deputy has taken a strong interest in the history and Irish links of Montserrat and that he was concerned about the humanitarian situation of the islanders after the major volcanic eruption of 1997.

The Embassy of Ireland in Washington has advised me that Senator Kennedy, joined by Senators John Kerry and Charles Schumer, has written to President Bush to urge the US Administration to reverse the decision by the US Department of Homeland Security to terminate the temporary protected status granted to 292 refugees from Montserrat allowing them to reside in the US. This status was granted following the major volcanic eruption in 1997 which destroyed much of the island of Montserrat. Senator Schumer had also sponsored a Senate Bill to provide relief for the Montserrat group and a similar measure has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

The US Department of Homeland Security maintains that the conditions in Montserrat no longer meet the criteria for temporary protected status. It states that one of the criteria for this status, on the basis of natural disaster, is that both the disruption of living conditions and a country's inability to accept the return of its nationals be temporary in nature. The Department of Homeland Security refers to scientific estimates that there is a 50% chance that the volcanic activity in Montserrat will continue for another 14 to 15 years and may continue for decades. Its position is that the situation in Montserrat is, therefore, not temporary and that the temporary protected status of the 292 persons in question will end on 27 February 2005. The Department of Homeland Security points out that not all these persons will be subject to early removal from the US, as some will continue to benefit from other non-immigrant status. It also points out that people from Montserrat are eligible to apply for British citizenship based on their status as British overseas territory citizens.

While I appreciate the humanitarian impulse underlying the initiative taken in this case by Senator Kennedy and his colleagues, it would not be appropriate for me to intervene with the US authorities.