Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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566. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when a decision will be made on the refugees to be accepted under the Syrian humanitarian admission scheme this year; if persons with a connection to Ireland (details supplied) will receive preference; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33176/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Syrian Humanitarian Admission Programme (SHAP), which was introduced following an approach by members of the Syrian community in Ireland, is intended to offer temporary Irish residence - rather than refugee status - to vulnerable persons present in Syria, or who have fled from Syria to surrounding countries since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2011, and who have close family members residing in the State.

The Programme allowed naturalised Irish citizens of Syrian birth and Syrian nationals already lawfully resident in the State to make an application for vulnerable close family members to join them in Ireland. All applications received are being examined based on the criteria set out in the programme, a key condition of which is that these persons should not become a burden on the State.

Beneficiaries who are admitted under the SHAP programme will be granted permission on a temporary basis for up to two years.

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the application referred to by the Deputy will be decided in the near future.

The Deputy may wish to note that 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 established specifically 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.