The Department of Justice can be something of a poisoned chalice for any ambitious politician, as Minister O'Donoghue is now discovering. As Fianna Fail's opposition spokesman on justice, he was unswerving in advocating a policy of "zero tolerance" against all law-breakers. And he was brutally direct in apportioning responsibility for serious crime, overcrowded prisons and administrative errors to the then minister for justice, Ms Nora Owen. Because of that, a certain element of retribution has informed the Dail vote of no confidence in Mr O'Donoghue.
The shabby treatment of asylum seekers by the State - and specifically by the Department of Justice - formed the cutting edge of the Labour Party motion that will be voted on tonight. But a range of other issues, from overcrowding and suicides in our prisons, to a recent spate of armed robberies, industrial relations problems in the Garda, a failure to regulate the private security industry and long delays for legal aid, were included in a scatter-gun approach designed to do maximum damage.
The Government has responded with the longest amendment seen for years in the Dail. It found twenty-five reasons to support Mr O'Donoghue at this time, compared to the twelve complaints lodged against him by the opposition parties. In its defence, the Government promised to introduce a modern code of immigration and resident law to meet the changing needs of Irish society. It spoke about facilitating the entry of non-EU citizens for the purpose of employment with special visas. But the Minister and his Department drew the line at allowing asylum seekers an automatic right to work here. While holding the traditional Department line on immigrants, however, the Minister was talking about change and the needs of the economy. Some years ago, when we exported our children to work in Europe and in the United States, only a trickle of asylum seekers came here.
The sudden increase in the number of applicants coincided with the State's rapid economic growth. Thus, in 1994, 362 applications were made for asylum, as against 1,179 in 1996, 4,626 in 1998 and an estimated 7,000 for this year. The availability of work here, along with a certain quality of life, probably had as much to do with the surge in refugee numbers as the wars, persecutions and economic circumstances that drove them all to emigrate. And the State was totally unprepared for the influx. Worse, the traditional narrow, negative approach to immigrants adopted by the Department of Justice, meant that the official response was slow and grudging.
It took Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell, with the support of the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, to put the issue firmly on the Government's agenda. Ms O'Donnell's description of our immigration policy as "a shambles" and her forthright criticism of the treatment of asylum seekers gave the opposition parties an opportunity they could not ignore. Extra resources will have to be made available to deal with the issue as a matter of urgency. As well as dealing with refugees now arriving, a clear and humane policy will have to be devised to deal with those who have been here for some time. Further changes, in terms of work permits, will have to be made. And accommodation cannot be confined to Dublin or city centre areas. A decision by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to call a meeting of the five Ministers concerned with key aspects of the refugee problem for next Monday, is a welcome, if belated, sign of Government engagement.