The Government has defended the passing of the Immigration Bill before the summer recess as "absolutely essential", despite stringent criticism from the Opposition and concern by human rights organisations about sections of the legislation. Seventy-four amendments were taken in one vote and the Bill passed all stages in the House ail by 73 votes to 64.

The Minister of State for Justice, Ms Mary Wallace, said the Bill was an "interim measure". The State currently had no power to deport non-nationals "whose presence in the State was not or is no longer legal".

Without these immigration controls, Irish society could be exposed to "inflows of criminal elements". The lack of this power could also "threaten the safety and good order of society and jeopardise the continued existence of the common travel arrangements between here and the UK".

The Minister also rejected the most debated amendment in the discussion, one to give asylum-seekers in the State for more than three months the right to apply for a work permit. She added, however, that the Government was still considering the situation on this issue.

Opposition criticism was led by Labour's equality and law reform spokeswoman, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, who said human rights organisations including Amnesty International, Comhlamh and the UN High Commission for Human Rights had "expressed concern about the implications of certain sections of the Bill".

Condemning the Bill's swift passage through the Dail without proper debate, she said the Refugee Act was passed in 1996 and the Minister for Justice had had more than two years to introduce amendments. "Why has it been left to the last minute and why is it being rushed through in this way? This is no way to conduct the legislative process."

This, Ms O'Sullivan said, "is a most unacceptable way to handle a Bill on which human lives could depend".

Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Jim Higgins, said they were "bulldozing through a far-reaching human rights Bill without sufficient dialogue or debate".

Ms O'Sullivan called for asylum-seekers who have been in the State for more than three months to be given the right to apply for a work permit. "People who wait for long periods for their cases to be heard cannot work and it creates the impression that they are living off the State. This contributes to racist attitudes, but they want to live and work here," she said.

"As long as they do not have that right, the racist attitude of certain people will continue." She said FAS was recruiting people in other European countries to fill vacancies that could be filled by asylum-seekers.

"However, we must ensure that our unemployed people who may not have the necessary skills, training or education are given the attention they need. It is not an either-or situation."

Mr Joe Higgins (Soc, Dublin West) said the Government's opposition to this was a "continuation of the mean spirit" with which it had approached the rights of people seeking refuge.

Mr Caoimghin O Caolain, (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) said it was a reasonable amendment and that if the Bill concerned the import and export of cattle, "it would have received more consideration from the Government".

Mr Ivor Callely (FF, Dublin North Central) opposed the amendment because "it would give an asylum-seeker false hope if, after going through due process, his or her application was unsuccessful. It would create a lot of difficulties and would be unfair."

He pointed out that 80 per cent of people with disabilities were unable to find employment. "I do not hear people shouting on their behalf or saying they should be given an opportunity to work."

However, Mr Alan Shatter (FG, Dublin South) said Mr Callely's suggestion of false hope for asylum-seekers was "an extraordinarily asinine argument. Allowing them to work allows them the dignity of earning a living while awaiting a decision about their future, no more and no less than that."

Ms Monica Barnes (FG, Dun Laoghaire) said asylum-seekers had been "damaged and we all know that the greatest boost we can give to their self-esteem is to allow them work for remuneration and contribute to the society in which they live".

The Minister of State said the right to work was under consideration by the Government "and its decisions will be announced in due course in the normal way".