Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of visas issued to Belorussian nationals each year since 1986. [23416/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Belarus became independent only in 1991 and for some years after that its citizens travelled using USSR passports. Ireland has no representation in Belarus, but the Embassy in Moscow is accredited to that country. The vast majority of visas for Belorussian citizens are, as a result, issued by our Moscow Embassy. Figures for the numbers of visas issued to Belorussian citizens by the Embassy in Moscow are available only from 2003. Following are the available statistics: Visas Issued by the Embassy in Moscow for Belorussian citizens:

740 visas were approved in 2003

322 in 2004

427 in 2005

1,201 in 2006 (up to 31 May).

As a child protection measure, the visa-free status of children who are victims of the Chernobyl disaster was recently lifted and this accounts for the large rise in the numbers issued by the Embassy in Moscow in 2006. In addition to the above, some 89 visas were issued in 2005 by the Visa Office in Dublin for Belorussian citizens, and 56 up to 31 May this year.