Madam - There is certainly a "loophole" in our citizenship law by virtue of the fact that citizenship is granted automatically to any person born in this country irrespective of whether their parents have any connection with it.
The "loophole" exists where persons can visit this country, whether by applying for asylum or otherwise, give birth, apply for and collect a passport and then return with their new baby to their country of origin. They then have the opportunity to sell the passport or keep it for a rainy day, as they see fit. Since the people to whom these passports are issued are new-born babies, the appearance of the future passport-holder poses no practical impediment to sale.
Likewise, the "loophole" exists where expectant mothers may take advantage of the opportunity to make false asylum claims to obtain Irish citizenship for children, with a view to obtaining residency rights. While those rights have been lost in this country, it appears that they may now be exercised in the rest of the European Union (an Irish solution to an Irish problem if ever there was one). People may choose to believe that no one actually takes advantage of these opportunities, but that they exist and constitute loopholes is indisputable.
The question then is what to do about it. Certainly, the answer is not to describe Mr McDowell and the government as dishonest, as Ivana Bacik chose to do (May 27th), because they indicated that they wished to close a loophole. Nor would it be appropriate fundamentally to alter the basis of Irish citizenship. But the abuse of the automatic right to citizenship certainly exists and closing our eyes to it and hiding behind statistics, lies and more statistics will not change that.
The Government's proposal does not take away the right to citizenship of persons born in this country. It qualifies the right by excluding babies (yes, that emotive word) whose parents have little or no connection with the country, having not resided here for three of the previous four years. I would prefer it were otherwise because I share a sense of unease that citizenship should be anything but a birthright, and about distinguishing between babies born side by side in the same maternity ward. But I value Irish citizenship more deeply and certainly do not accept that it should be treated as a commodity to be easily acquired through a little resourcefulness.
Many of the same people who rightly challenged Fianna Fáil-led governments for selling passports to foreign businessmen are now challenging a Government that seeks to protect that same passport. That is fair enough where they do so on reasoned grounds, as many of your contributors have done. It is not fair enough when they distort the debate by reference to emotive concepts (William Binchy, Opinion, May 27th), or to make unfounded political allegations against their opponents.
Irish citizenship deserves a more honest debate than that. - Yours, etc.,
ROBERT BARRON, Shielmartin Road, Sutton, Dublin 13.