Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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477. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will support the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland by introducing a once-off, time-bound, regularisation scheme with transparent criteria in the lifetime of the current Government. [29081/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the MRCI proposals regarding regularisation and have met with representatives of the organisation at their request, as indeed do my officials on an ongoing basis. As with any proposals that are submitted to me, those from MRCI will receive due consideration. Media reports however suggesting that my Department has drawn up detailed proposals for a regularisation programme in consultation with MRCI are wholly inaccurate.

I have set out the Government's position on this issue many times before. There is a clear obligation on anyone coming to live and work in the State to respect our laws. In this regard it remains the responsibility of all non-EEA nationals who are resident in the State to ensure that they have an appropriate permission from the Minister for Justice and Equality and the great majority of migrants fully comply with this condition. I am conscious that any significant departure from well established policies will invariably have implications for our immigration controls and the smooth functioning of the Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom.

This does not preclude any foreign national, who finds him or herself in an undocumented situation, from returning to their home country and applying to re-enter the State or, in the alternative, from approaching the immigration authorities to seek permission to remain in the State. Such cases would be carefully considered, taking the relevant circumstances into account, before any final decision was made. An important factor in any such consideration would be the circumstances in which the person concerned became undocumented. Following such a process it is reasonable for the State to expect that people will respect this decision.

I would emphasise that, experience has shown us, most people become undocumented through their own conscious actions or omissions. But this may not always be the case and in recognition of that fact the Department has operated a scheme to address the situation of those who became undocumented through no fault of their own.