Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 646: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of visas issued to persons of Nigerian extraction in the past two years; the purpose for which those applications were successfully made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28692/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I assume that the Deputy is requesting the total number of visas issued to Nigerian nationals over the past two years. Under a scheme known as delegated sanction, the Department of Foreign Affairs issues the vast majority of visas without reference to my Department. These visas fall into a limited number of categories and in general are cases where the application is straightforward and there is no appreciable immigration risk. Less straightforward cases are referred to my Department for decision. In addition, my Department operates dedicated visa offices in Moscow and Beijing which have the authority to decide all visa applications received in those offices.

The visa system by its very nature is widely distributed around the world. While each Irish mission throughout the globe maintains its own records of visas issued, and is required to submit these records on a regular basis to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, there is not any central method for storing the type of specific statistical data requested by the Deputy. Consequently it is not possible to provide a total figure for all visas issued to Nigerian nationals in all locations throughout the world. However, out of the total number of applications processed by the visa offices of my Department in Dublin, Moscow and Beijing, 677 visas were approved for Nigerian nationals in 2004; 466 visas have been approved to date in 2005 for Nigerian nationals, in the three locations. For the same reasons as outlined above it is not possible to break down the figures above for 2004 into the different types of visas applied for.

Since the start of 2005 however, my Department has introduced an interim system to produce limited statistical information for visa related matters. Based on the information available, the top five types of visas that have issued to Nigerian nationals to date in 2005, by the Dublin, Moscow and Beijing offices of my Department are as follows: visit, with 141 issued; join spouse, with 68 issued; join parent, with 64 issued; study, with 51 issued; re-entry, with 40 issued. All others amounted to 102. These figures do not include those visas issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs under the delegated sanction scheme.