Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if the transferring of processing of visa applications for certain states has moved to the Department office in Abu Dhabi; the number of staff employed by this office; the cost of running this office; the locations and running costs of all overseas offices employed by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40126/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Visa Office, Abu Dhabi which is based in the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi, is run by staff of my Department on secondment to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It handles all aspects of visa applications, of all types, for visa required nationals (including appeals) legally resident in the United Arab Emirates. The office also deals with visa applications from the following countries:

Algeria

Bahrain

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Qatar

Oman

Sudan (decision to be taken in relation to South Sudan)

Syria

Tunisia

Egypt (except certain types of application handled under delegated sanction by Cairo embassy staff)

Saudi Arabia (except certain types of application handled under delegated sanction by Riyadh embassy staff)

It is intended that the processing in Abu Dhabi of visa applications from the following countries will come on stream in the future:

Pakistan

Iran

Afghanistan

Iraq

Yemen

A decision on the date for the commencement of visa operations in Abu Dhabi in relation to these countries will be made taking into account all relevant factors. The Deputy will be aware that the operating environment in some of the countries concerned in recent times has been challenging.

Visa processing duties, including making decisions on whether or not to grant a visa, are carried out by four Irish civil servants, one at Higher Executive Officer level and three at Executive Officer level. Four locally-recruited staff perform a range of administrative duties and assist with making operational enquiries in support of the visa application process. These locally-recruited staff do not have power of decision in relation to visa applications.

In addition to I.N.I.S. HQ in Dublin, there are currently five overseas Visa Offices in operation run by staff members of my Department on the same basis as that already outlined for the Abu Dhabi office. These are in Abuja, Beijing, London, Moscow and New Delhi. The number of cases processed by these offices is approximately 46,500 per annum. In addition, the staff in all Visa Offices perform important functions of engagement with local businesses and tourist bodies and work closely with Embassy staff in promoting Ireland as a business and tourism destination. This include promotion activities in connection with the Irish Short-Stay Visa Waiver Programme which allows holders of UK visas from sixteen designated countries to visit Ireland without the need for an Irish visa. The operation of Visa Offices overseas allows for both a better, speedier service to applicants and for more effective combatting of fraudulent or dubious applications through the development of local knowledge and use of locally recruited staff.

The costs associated with the running of these offices, together with the fee income generated, is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.