Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 338: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps taken by his Department, through diplomatic or other channels, to ensure that children from Belarus can continue to make visits to Ireland under sponsorship by a group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36868/08]

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 339: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on a matter regarding persons (details supplied) in County Limerick. [36999/08]

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 340: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if discussions have taken place with the Belarus Government regarding the travel to Ireland of children under the Chernobyl Children's Fund; the outcome of such discussions; and the agreements which have been entered into by his officials and the Belorussian authorities. [37277/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 to 340, inclusive, together.

I have long been aware of the tremendous contribution of charities and individuals who have worked to help the children of Chernobyl. Once I became aware of possible restrictions on the children's travel, I arranged a meeting with Adi Roche of Chernobyl Children's Project International on 8 September to review the situation. I also immediately invited the Chargé d'Affaires of the Belorussian Embassy in London to Dublin to make clear the Irish Government's willingness to arrive at an agreement to provide a framework for visits by Chernobyl children and to open discussions on such an agreement.

There followed an intensive series of meetings and a number of exchanges at official level in September and early October, and a draft Agreement was forwarded by my Department to the Belorussian authorities on 6 October. A response to this, requesting further information, was received from Belarus on 16 October. On 13 October, I discussed progress with Belorussian Foreign Minister Martynov in Luxembourg and expressed the Government's strong hope that — even if negotiations with the Belorussian Government were not fully concluded — visits by the Chernobyl children to Ireland could be allowed to go ahead over Christmas.

In a separate but related development, Ireland's Ambassador to Belarus received a call from the Belorussian Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs on 16 October notifying him that a Presidential Decree had been signed on 13 October relating to travel by Belorussian children overseas.

Following further consultations with Adi Roche and a number of other Chernobyl NGOs, and given its potential impact on future visits by children from Chernobyl, it was decided that the Presidential decree had to be addressed in terms of the draft agreement. On 24 October, my Department replied to the Belorussian note of 16 October and proposed a method of doing this. An Irish delegation will visit Minsk in the near future and, depending on the Belorussian response, I hope it will be able to complete negotiations and conclude an agreement which will allow the visits by Chernobyl children to continue.