Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 693: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Somalians who have been given permission to reside here over the past two decades; the reason for granting permission; the number of Somalians who have applied for residency; the nature of these applications; the number of Somalians who have sought family reunification; the number who have been granted reunification; the number who have been refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1837/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service that the statistics requested by the Deputy for the past two decades are not readily available and could only be compiled by allocating an inordinate amount of staff time and resources. Table 1 below sets out the number of Somalian nationals who have been granted residence in this State since 2000 under various immigration permissions.

Table 2 sets out the details of applications received under the Family Reunification Scheme. It should be noted that the number of applications approved/refused does not reflect the number of applications received in any given year as at present there is a backlog of applications on hand. Applications made in 2007 are currently being dealt with. Statistics for Family Reunification applications approved prior to 2007 are not readily available.

It should be also noted that in respect of each application for Family Reunification made by Somalian nationals that there could be several family members involved, (both immediate family and extended family) all of whom have to be individually considered.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 694: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason Somalian residents here are being asked to apply to their nearest Somalian embassy for national passports; the location of that embassy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1838/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service the reason that some Somalian or other non-national residents are asked to apply to their nearest embassy for a national passport is that under Section 9(2)(a) of the Immigration Act 2004 it is a requirement for all non-nationals to register in the State. In order to register they must produce a valid passport or other equivalent document, issued by or on behalf of an authority recognised by the Government, which establishes his or her identity and nationality.

In the event that a person cannot produce a passport, the Garda National Immigration Bureau may seek to establish their identity by requesting the production of alternative documentation such as a driving licence, military service records, birth certificate, national ID card, residence permit, correspondence from Embassies or other official agencies. The Somalian Embassy in Paris is the nearest diplomatic mission for Somalians living in Ireland.

I am also informed that refugees seeking to bring family members into the State are required to produce passports of relevant family members when making an application for family reunification. The passports are required for identification purposes and as part of the family reunification process to establish the relationship to the Somalian refugee who has made the application on their behalf.