Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 348: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the assistance he will give the tourism industry regarding overseas visitors experiencing difficulty in obtaining holiday visas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8068/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The promotion of tourism in Ireland is a matter for the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and associated agencies. However, as well as the individual case raised by the Deputy, I am aware of recent media coverage in relation to the matter of visas for tourists which makes largely the same points. As with all visa regimes in all countries worldwide, the central concern is to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the country's vital national interests by maintaining an effective immigration regime, while at the same time not placing unnecessary or unreasonable obstacles in the way of those who intend travelling for legitimate purposes and who are likely to abide by the terms of their visa. Each visa application is decided on its own merits and I believe that, in most cases, my Department achieves this balance. Visa approval rates for some of the countries mentioned in recently media reports bear this out. Approval rates for visas applications of all types processed through some Irish overseas Visa Offices in 2009 were : New Delhi (serving India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal) - 90%; Beijing (serving China, Cambodia, Mongolia) - 86%; London (serving all visa required nationals based in the UK) - 98%. As always, my officials are willing to meet stakeholders in the tourism sector to discuss areas of interest and concern.