Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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78. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the efforts being made by her and her EU counterparts to protect and assist unaccompanied minors in camps such as Calais; the efforts being made to ensure that such children do not disappear from such camps; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28318/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The ongoing migration crisis is a serious and extremely complex challenge facing the EU with numerous pressure points and it is important that there be a coherent and coordinated response. Persons who are currently in another EU Member State, including those in the camps in Calais, and who are in need of international protection, are entitled to make an application for asylum in that country, should they wish to do so. We also need to bear in mind that a defining characteristic of the people in Calais, including unaccompanied minors, has been their very strong desire to go to the UK as their ultimate destination and that this is unlikely to change. In that respect I do not see that a unilateral initiative from Ireland would be appropriate in this case, not least given the fact that this is a delicate situation involving the borders between two other Member States.

The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government Decision on 10 September 2015 as a direct response to the humanitarian crisis that developed in Southern Europe as a consequence of mass migration from areas of conflict in the Middle East and Africa. In announcing the IRPP, the Government recognised the importance of prioritising family groups and in addressing the position of unaccompanied children. A significant number of those who have arrived to date are children with one or two parents. With regard to unaccompanied minors Ireland has formally indicated to Greece its desire to accept unaccompanied minors under the relocation mechanism and we now have a commitment from the Greek authorities that Ireland will be receiving the first group of unaccompanied minors later this year. Tusla - the Child and Family Agency with responsibility for the care of unaccompanied minors in the State - will travel to Greece to assess the needs of those minors and plan for their care and accommodation upon arrival.

I share the Deputy's concerns in relation to unaccompanied minors as an especially vulnerable group and I expect this issue to remain high on the agenda at EU level.