Ireland: Asylum
01 November 1992
Amnesty International's Irish Section is campaigning to improve protection for asylum seekers with the aid of a private members Bill sponsored by Alan Shatter MP (Fine Gael). The present legislation in Ireland covering refugees and asylum seekers is the 1935 Aliens Act, which is based on the UK's 1914 Aliens Restriction Act (a draconian piece of law drawn up at the outset of World War 1). Under the 1935 Act the Minister of Justice has unlimited powers to detain and deport and there is no appeals procedure.
The procedure under the 1935 Act tie the subsequent statutory instruments to the UK's visa policy so that every time the Home Secretary extends the countries requiring visas Ireland follows suit. Very few refugees reach Ireland. In 1991 only 31 asylum applications were made with only one being granted. One in four applicants are detained in prison before being deported.
Exile October 1992.