Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 495: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of cases which are currently before the European Court of Human Rights; the number before the court in the past five years; the number of cases which have been processed in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15166/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As a founding member of the Council of Europe, Ireland has always been a strong supporter of the European Court of Human Rights and its efforts to promote and protect human rights standards across member countries. Ireland has participated in recent discussions on the reform of the Court, which include proposals to increase the case- processing capacity of the Court aimed at alleviating the current backlog of cases, and we welcome the continuing efforts made by the Court to reduce the number of outstanding cases.

According to statistical information provided by the European Court of Human Rights, as of 1 April 2009, there are 104,100 cases pending before the European Court of Human Rights.

Figures detailing the number of applications which have been allocated to the Court to process over the past five years are outlined in the table. This represents a total of 198,800 cases.

Figures detailing the major procedural steps in processing applications including applications communicated to respondent Governments by the Court over the past five years are outlined in the table.

Further information on statistical data and cases can be obtained at www.echr.coe.int

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 496: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his view on the position regarding treatment of the Roma in Europe and in Serbia, in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15227/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Events planned around the world to mark International Roma Day on 8 April 2009 provided an opportunity to highlight a number of important humanitarian issues facing this minority group, particularly in mainland Europe.

Ireland fully supports the EU, the Council of Europe and the OSCE in their ongoing efforts to bring all prejudice and mistreatment of the Roma people to a definitive end. In recognition of the need to support this vulnerable group, Ireland has contributed to a number of Roma projects, particularly in the Western Balkans region. One of the projects funded was €200,000 towards the World Bank's Roma Education Fund, which has benefited the Roma community in eleven countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

I was concerned to learn of reports that some Roma families were unable to find secure shelter following their evacuation by local authorities from a temporary settlement in Belgrade. I have asked officials at our Embassy in Athens, which is accredited to Serbia, to make enquiries about this matter.

The Deputy may also be aware of current efforts by the EU and others to relocate Roma families residing in camps exposed to lead contamination in Northern Kosovo. Ireland is supporting all efforts to address this urgent humanitarian issue, including that of the European Commission Liaison Office in Pristina, which is coordinating the actions of national and international stakeholders to secure a long-term sustainable solution to this issue.