Michael Fitzmaurice: Faster asylum decisions and tighter system
Michael Fitzmaurice addressed immigration processing and labour needs, arguing the state requires foreign workers and a simplified enterprise system while insisting on faster, stricter asylum decisions. He urged a six-week initial decision, a six-month overall timeline, quicker court handling and firmer deportation enforcement.
He said Ireland needs workers from different countries and called for simplification under the enterprise system. He pointed to hospitals, hospitality, doctors, nurses and nursing homes as sectors actively looking for staff.
He described recent incidents in other nations as "despicable" and referenced Annie Gardner getting hurt as unacceptable. He also said it is not acceptable for someone to discard their paperwork after entering the country and that public frustration is growing.
He proposed a process delivering an initial decision within six weeks and completing the whole case within six months. He recommended a dedicated court section for appeals so cases can move quickly through the legal process.
He argued that once a decision is made it must be enforced - if a person is to be deported they should not be allowed to remain indefinitely. He said the system must be tightened and decisions must be final when reached.
He acknowledged the minister has improved handling compared with the past but said lengthy delays of years are unacceptable. He called on the Government to be fair to everyone, to allocate resources and money to speed up courts and processing, and to stop people "chancing around" the system.
Labour shortages and sectors in need
He said Ireland needs workers from different countries and called for simplification under the enterprise system. He pointed to hospitals, hospitality, doctors, nurses and nursing homes as sectors actively looking for staff.
Condemnation of abuses and public concern
He described recent incidents in other nations as "despicable" and referenced Annie Gardner getting hurt as unacceptable. He also said it is not acceptable for someone to discard their paperwork after entering the country and that public frustration is growing.
Proposed processing timeline and court route
He proposed a process delivering an initial decision within six weeks and completing the whole case within six months. He recommended a dedicated court section for appeals so cases can move quickly through the legal process.
Deportation enforcement and system tightening
He argued that once a decision is made it must be enforced - if a person is to be deported they should not be allowed to remain indefinitely. He said the system must be tightened and decisions must be final when reached.
Resources, fairness and ministerial performance
He acknowledged the minister has improved handling compared with the past but said lengthy delays of years are unacceptable. He called on the Government to be fair to everyone, to allocate resources and money to speed up courts and processing, and to stop people "chancing around" the system.
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Transcript
The first thing that needs to be said is that we need workers in this country from different countries. We need to simplify, under the enterprise system, the process coming through, because enough of our businesses are looking at hospitals, hospitality, we need doctors, nurses, nursing homes. All of those need workers, and I do not think there is one person in the country who disputes that. Secondly, what we saw in the other nations, no one could condone it. I think it is despicable, or Annie Gardner getting hurt, we want to be very clear on that. There is a fact here that we also want to talk about, that somebody coming into the country that basically gets rid of their paperwork is not acceptable, to put it very simple. Second of all, it is not a thing that you will be able to stop people coming into the country, because obviously with Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, but the bottom line on it is. We should have a process that within the first six weeks there should be a decision made in a person whether they can stay or not. Then we should have a section in the courts, that if they want to go to the courts, that they can deal with the courts and go through the different process, and the whole process should be finished inside six months. If you have that done, and then once that decision is made, if a person is staying, they are staying, if a decision is made that way, if a person is to be deported, it shouldn't be rock on and whenever you get a chance head off. We need to tighten that system up, whether we like it or not. I think Minister O'Callaghan, in fairness, he has stood up way better than what was going on before this. It is despicable to see somebody that is six years and they are not processed after six years. That is not acceptable to either the person that comes in or to the state system. It is not working, to put it very simple. I would ask you, as a Government, you have to be fair to everyone, but the one thing you have to do is when you make a decision, you make a decision, and there is a lot of people chancing around, coming into this country and letting no one say there is not, and people are sick of what is going on. The other thing I would ask you, Minister, is that we make sure that we, in the court system, whether it is a new system that has to be set up, and I know that this takes resources, and I know it takes more money, I would ask you to make sure that that is fast forward very quick. Thank you.