Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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320. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has been briefed on the war and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan; whether she is aware than two million refugees have already left the country and that many will make their way to Europe; if she is making contingency plans for this; and if she has made an intervention on the matter at Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings at EU level. [37500/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am certainly aware of the conflict in Sudan and its impact, and appreciate that this is a difficult time for our Sudanese community and their loved ones.

In that regard, my Department has assisted the Department of Foreign Affairs in their work to evacuate Irish citizens and their families from Sudan.

It is open to the people affected who have family members here to apply for a visa. Due to the unrest in Khartoum the office of Ireland’s Honorary Consul is currently inaccessible.

Emergency visa applications will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis but will, wherever possible, be processed speedily and sympathetically. The Embassy of Ireland in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi Visa Office) is the main point of contact for queries in relation to Irish visa applications by Sudanese citizens or residents.

Any person wishing to travel to Ireland can do so through a number of legal pathways. Details of the various pathways can be found on the Immigration Service website at the following link:

Furthermore, the Family Reunification Unit, which process applications made under the International Protection Act 2015, is prioritising Sudanese applications where possible.

More generally, my officials and I will continue to engage with the Commission and with counterparts in other Member States in the appropriate EU fora, including under the aegis of the European Union Asylum Agency, on the monitoring and management of ongoing or possible future migratory flows arising from the conflict in Sudan and its humanitarian consequences.