I want to raise the pain and suffering being caused to people doing essential work in this country due to the massive backlog and delays in issuing Irish residence permit, IRP, cards. Some people who had to leave for funerals or because of family illness in India and elsewhere have not been able to get back into the country. I also want to raise the family reunification rules and to mention a woman called Iby, who is working as a healthcare assistant in our country. She applied for visas for her two children some time ago. Iby has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing oncology treatment. Due to this, she has been medically unable to travel to India and has not seen her children for three years. Her husband had to come over here to support her recovery so both parents are away, causing terrible trauma and depression for the two children in India. She is continuing to work in our system. In a further twist, because of the fall in her income due to having no sick pay, she is under the financial threshold now for her children to come here. I am asking the Tánaiste to look at her case on compassionate grounds. We cannot inflict such suffering on workers who are here caring for our older people and expect them to be able to survive here. Do we just want guest workers in this country or do we want human beings who have rights, who have community and who are not forcibly separated from their children? I ask the Tánaiste to look into this and to clear the IRP backlog as well.

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It is a disgrace.

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