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Volume 10 1951~1957

Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 415 NAI TSCH/3/S11007/C

Summary of a Memorandum for the Government by the Department
of External Affairs
'Proposed accession to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Geneva, 28th July 1951'
(408/177/13)

Dublin, 7 May 1956

  1. A Convention relating to the Status of Refugees was drawn up in 1951 by a United Nations-convened Conference at which twenty-six countries were represented excluding Ireland which, however, had been invited to attend.
  2. Twenty Governments, including all the Council of Europe countries, except Ireland, have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention.
  3. The Convention is a comprehensive charter of the rights of refugees including the right to be accorded at least the same treatment as aliens generally.
  4. The Departments of Industry and Commerce, Justice, Finance and the Attorney-General suggested that, insofar as this country is concerned, certain reservations to the Convention should be made. The Departments of Defence, Education, Health and Social Welfare were also consulted but had no observations to make.
  5. There are approximately 500 refugees at present residing in Ireland and Ireland’s accession to the Convention would not alter in any important way this country’s existing treatment of refugees. Accession to the Convention would not involve any new legislation nor any expenditure other than, initially, a small sum for printing travel documents which, however, would be covered by the fee to be charged to the applicants.
  6. The Minister for External Affairs considers that this country should become a party to the Convention and seeks the authority of the Government to take the necessary steps for the deposit of an instrument of accession thereto subject to the reservations made by other Departments as mentioned in paragraph 4 above.
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