Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if a re-entry visa will be granted in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47579/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that there is no record of applications for re-entry visas in respect of the children concerned. The mother of the children concerned was granted temporary permission to remain in the State on 14 June, 2005 for a two year period, under the revised arrangements applicable to the non-EEA national parents of Irish born children born in the State before 1 January, 2005, more commonly known as the IBC/05 Scheme. This permission to remain was subject to the condition that she accepted that the granting of the permission did not confer any entitlement or legitimate expectation on any other person, whether related to the person granted permission or not, to enter the State. This permission was renewed in 2007 and again in 2010. Her permission to remain in the State is valid until 14 June, 2013.

In April of 2012, the mother of the children concerned made an application seeking permission to remain in the State for her children. I am informed that as it appeared that the children have been residing in the State since 2007 without the appropriate permission to do so, the immigration service wrote to the person concerned on 19 April 2012 requesting documentation and information regarding the circumstances of her children's arrival in the State. Some documentation was supplied in May of 2012, but the issue of the children's entry into the State was not adequately addressed. On foot of the receipt of a letter dated 16 October last from the legal representative of the mother concerned, she has again been requested to reply comprehensively to the queries raised by INIS last April. Upon receipt of the requested documentation and information, the case of the children concerned will be examined with a view to deciding on their future status in the State. Once a decision has been made, the decision and the consequences of the decision will be conveyed in writing to the person concerned.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.