Opposition members called on the Minister for Justice and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ms Liz O'Donnell (PD) to address the House so that it would know the actual Government policy on the asylum-seeker situation.
Mr Maurice Manning (FG) complimented Ms O'Donnell on her "courageous intervention in the immigration debate and the fact that she had the courage to tell the truth about things as they are. "I hope that this intervention will be more than a merely rhetorical one and will be followed up by action," he said. Mr Manning wondered if there was now "official" and "provisional" Government policy on immigration. He believed the best way to clear up this matter was to hear from the Ministers concerned.
Mr David Norris said Mr Manning had hit the nail on the head. Ms O'Donnell was concerned with human rights which seemed to have passed her senior colleague, Mr O'Donoghue, by. "Words like `swamped' are being used in a widespread fashion by Cabinet ministers. This is the kind of thing that stirs up hatred of asylum-seekers. It's almost as if they are deliberately trying to create an atmosphere in which people feel that we are being overwhelmed, whereas, in fact, we are not."
Mr Norris said he had never heard Mr O'Donoghue express any compassion for the plight of refugees who had arrived here. "There is plenty of evidence the other way. He is going to fingerprint 14-year old children in defiance of the European Parliament. I echo Mr Manning's words, thank God for Liz O'Donnell, who is the conscience of this Government and one they badly need." It was important not to stir up divisions, said Mr Norris. He hoped the Fianna Fail element in the coalition would learn from Ms O'Donnell and not try to suppress the proper expression of her views.
Mr Joe Costello (Lab) said his party had raised the refugee issue again and again. Only last week it had asked the Minister for Justice to come into the House and explain why there was absolute chaos in the Refugee Centre in Dublin. "As others have said, thank God for Minister O'Donnell for actually telling the truth about what the situation is like." He said both Ministers should be invited to come into the House, to inform it of the position as enunciated in relation to human rights issues and as to what the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform seemed to be saying. An anti-refugee sentiment appeared to be expressed in all Mr O'Donoghue's utterances.