The success of three asylum seekers last week in preventing their cases being heard by James Nicholson of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal was described at a weekend conference as having "cast a long shadow over the workings of the tribunal".
The Green Party spokesman on immigration, Ciarán Cuffe, also said there was "a lot of disquiet at the workings of the tribunal". He was speaking in Dublin on Saturday at a conference on Migration in an Extended EU.
For over three years the Refugee Appeals Tribunal had rejected allegations of bias made against Mr Nicholson, who it was claimed had rejected all appeal cases heard before him. Last week, however, and without conceding allegations of bias made against Mr Nicholson, the tribunal agreed that the three asylum seekers could have their appeals heard before a member other than Mr Nicholson.
At the same weekend conference, Rosanna Flynn of Residents Against Racism described as "a crying scandal" the chartering by the Department of Justice of an aircraft at a cost of €206,000 to deport nine people to Nigeria last Tuesday. It was intended to deport upwards of 300 people but most failed to turn up, while others took out injunctions.
Mr Cuffe said he expected the new Immigration Bill to be before the Dáil early in 2008.
