The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, is expected to recommend to Cabinet shortly the establishment of a new immigration agency which would take over responsibility for the day-today implementation of policy in this area.
Mr O'Donoghue may be glad to see the back of what has proven to be one of the most controversial policy matters within his portfolio. However, the findings in today's Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll indicate that the Minister may be closer to the public mood on immigration than previously thought by many, including the Progressive Democrat Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell.
It was the intervention of Ms O'Donnell and her description of the Department of Justice's handling of the refugee and asylum issue as a "shambles", which led Opposition parties two months ago to table a motion of no confidence in Mr O'Donoghue.
Despite calls by Ms O'Donnell, Fine Gael and the Labour Party for a more liberal immigration regime, a clear majority of the electorate believes strict limits should be placed on the number of refugees allowed into the State.
Some 74 per cent of voters want the number of refugees entering the State to be strictly limited; 17 per cent disagree and 9 per cent have no opinion.
The percentage in favour of limiting strictly the number of refugees varies across the political parties. Some 84 per cent among PD supporters favour such limits, compared with Fine Gael supporters at 79 per cent, Labour supporters at 77 per cent and 74 per cent among those who vote for Fianna Fail. These findings would indicate that voters have not been convinced by those propounding a more relaxed and open-door immigration policy.
However, when asked whether a more generous approach should be taken to refugees and immigrants in view of the Irish history of emigration and current prosperity levels, 60 per cent agreed. This majority support for a more generous approach appears to contradict the overwhelming support for limiting the number of refugees entering the State.
However, qualitative research conducted by MRBI shows that the harder line on refugees more accurately reflects the Irish attitude. A more generous approach - as the question was posed - could mean that voters merely want a more humane attitude to refugees while the numbers allowed to stay in the State should be strictly limited.
The immigration system, which has led to inordinate delays in processing applications for refugee status and the chaotic scenes experienced at the application centre at Mount Street in Dublin, has apparently displeased a considerable section of the electorate.
The poll also shows that voters are divided on whether only those refugees who are qualified to fill specific job vacancies should be allowed into the State. Some 42 per cent agreed with this, while 49 per cent disagreed with 9 per cent having no opinion.
A majority of Fianna Fail and Labour supporters (53 per cent in each party) disagrees with limiting entry to the State only to suitably qualified refugees who match specific job vacancies.
Support for such limitations is strongest among PD supporters at 58 per cent.