Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the arrangements that can be made to allow a person's family (details supplied) travel to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36619/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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On the basis of the information provided by the Deputy it is not possible to provide a substantive response. I note that the nationality of neither the person referred to by the Deputy nor the two children referred to has been mentioned. Further information on the exact circumstances of the family concerned, including their place of regular residence, has also not been provided.

I can however advise the Deputy that Chinese nationals are required to be in possession of a valid visa prior to seeking entry to the State. All persons who are visa required and who are not in possession of same may apply to their nearest Irish Embassy or Consulate for the appropriate visa. Where a visa required national is ordinarily resident in the State and wishes to exit and re-enter the State, such a person must be in possession of a re-entry visa, prior to exiting the State. Each visa application is considered on its individual merits the onus resting with the applicant to satisfy the Visa Officer as to why a visa should be granted. Comprehensive information when making a visa application (including the re-entry visa process) is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (www.inis.gov.ie).

I am informed by Officials in the Visa Office of my Department that on the basis of the information provided they can find no record of a current visa application for the Chinese national referred to. I should remind the Deputy that queries in relation to the status of individual Immigration cases may be made direct to INIS by Email using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. The service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek this information through the more administratively expensive Parliamentary Questions process.