Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected position in regard to an application for subsidiary protection in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8; the exact nature of the grounds on which application for asylum and refugee status was originally refused; if he will outline the report which set out these grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21163/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my detailed Reply to his earlier Parliamentary Question, No. 124 of Thursday, 22 April 2010, in this matter. The position in the State of the person concerned is as set out in that Reply.

The Deputy might wish to note that it is not the policy of my Department to comment on individual asylum claims. However, the Deputy can be assured that all asylum applications, including the one lodged by the person concerned, are considered by two statutory independent refugee status determination bodies, namely the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. In assessing each individual asylum application or appeal, the bodies referred to must, in accordance with their statutory remit, have regard for the specific claims made by the applicant, as measured against objective, reputable, up to date information relating to the applicant's country of origin and, where doubts exist, the benefit of the doubt is applied in favour of the applicant. I understand that copies of the determinations made by the two bodies were sent to the person concerned and copies were also sent to his then legal representatives so the person concerned can see from those documents the basis for the conclusions reached in his particular case.

Overall, I am satisfied that the State has a very fair and comprehensive mechanism in place for the consideration of all asylum applications and, as such, I am satisfied that the asylum application made by the person concerned was given the fullest consideration before a final decision was taken.