Tánaiste to visit refugee camps in Greece

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald is to travel to Greece in December to visit a number of refugee camps.

Ireland has committed to accepting 4,000 refugees as part of the European Union response to the migration crisis including 2,622 asylum seekers under the relocation scheme from Greece and Italy.

However 109 people have arrived in Ireland under that programme, mostly families from Greece; some 69 of these are from Syria.

Ireland has been criticised for the delay in accepting refugees but the failure has been due to delays in processing applications in Greece and Italy.

Ms Fitzgerald is to travel to visit the Irish Refugee Protection Progamme in Greece and meet with the officials interviewing and assessing asylum seekers.

It is understood 80 asylum seekers are being interviewed at a time in Athens every month for relocation to Ireland from Greece.

A spokesman for the Tánaiste said: “The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald is determined that we maintain this progress and fulfil our commitments and wishes to see at first hand the reality of the situation in Greece.

"That's why she will visit Greece between 11th and 13th December. She will be accompanied by Minister Katherine Zappone for some of the visit."

By the end of 2016, the Government hopes Ireland will have accepted more than 400 people from Greece under the relocation pledge system.

Ms Fitzgerald will visit two major refugee camps in Athens to meet staff, asylum seekers and children on the ground.

She expects to meet members of the persecuted Azidi community who are staying on one of the camps.

During her two day visit the Minister for Justice will meet a range of officials including senior Greek Ministers and officials, UNHCR, UNICEF, the International Organisation for Migration as well as the European Asylum Support Office.

Ms Fitzgerald will also meet asylum seekers, their children and unaccompanied minors to see at first hand the impact of the migrant crisis on Greece and on migrants and to listen to and discuss their concerns.