Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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41. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to her announcement in September 2015, to comment on Ireland's progress of resettling refugees; her engagement with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in relation to this and, in particular, her progress in resettling unaccompanied minor refugees, which she highlighted as a special priority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10130/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I assume that the Deputy is referring to the Government's decision to establish the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) on 10 September 2015 as a direct response to the EU migrant crisis. Under the programme, Ireland has agreed to accept 4,000 persons in total under resettlement and relocation programmes within a two-year period.

The figure of 4,000 includes approximately 2,600 asylum seekers to be taken in from migration hotspots in Italy and Greece under the new EU programme and 520 programme refugees from Lebanon, which the Irish Government has committed to taking in by the end of 2016 under Ireland's Refugee Resettlement programme. The mechanism by which the balance of the 4,000 will be admitted has yet to be decided by Government.

To date, a family of 10 Syrians has been relocated from Greece and very shortly another group of 31 Syrians will arrive in the State. A further 40 people are provisionally scheduled to arrive next month.

In relation to the Resettlement Programme, 263 programme refugees have been admitted to Ireland thus far. The balance of those being resettled in Ireland under this Programme were interviewed during a selection mission to the Lebanon in January 2016; they are currently being health-screened and are expected to arrive in Ireland between June and September 2016. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was consulted, as is customary in all cases being considered for resettlement in Ireland. Unaccompanied minors are not a feature of the Resettlement Programme which focuses on families.

As regards unaccompanied minors, statutory responsibility for the care of unaccompanied minors rests with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. My officials are in discussions with Tusla with a view to the State taking in unaccompanied minors under the EU relocation programme.