Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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144. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if an up-to-date passport from a person's homeland will enable that person (details supplied) in County Galway to re-enter this jurisdiction after visiting a family member in poor health on compassionate grounds, given that the person's spouse will stay here, or if a travel document from this jurisdiction is necessary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43416/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that my reply to a similar question raised by the Deputy on 19 November 2015 regarding the general issue of Travel Documents remains the position.

It is only in exceptional cases that an application for a Travel Document could be considered and in all such cases, INIS would have to be satisfied that there is no alternative open to the applicant. In this case the person concerned has an up-to-date national passport so a Travel Document application would not be considered in this case.

Entry to the State is solely at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the Port of entry to the State.

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 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 Parliamentary Question 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.