The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, indicated yesterday that the case of a Moldovan family facing deportation would receive sympathetic attention on humanitarian grounds, insofar as this was permitted under the law.
He was responding to a question from The Irish Times on the case of Ms Elena Cernei (16), her parents and two brothers who are living in Co Wicklow but are facing deportation.
"There is provision in our laws for the family concerned to make an application to the Minister for leave to stay on humanitarian grounds. I have not received an application from the family so far. The moment I do receive such an application I can assure you that it will receive every consideration," Mr O'Donoghue said at a function in Dublin.
He said it was not often mentioned that there was provision for humanitarian leave to remain. "This is a power which has been used in the past; it is a power which will be used in the future," he said.
Each application had to be considered on its own grounds in terms of the humanitarian aspects. "I can assure you that in this instance those same grounds will be applied, insofar as I can apply them, as sympathetically as I can," the Minister said.
The family came to Ireland in 1999. Elena Cernei won the Wicklow girls' public speaking competition last year, after only 18 months learning English and got six honours in her Junior Cert.