Ó Ríordáin welcomes Supreme Court decision on asylum seekers
Labour Party Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has welcomed the Supreme Court ruling that says that the government’s ban on asylum seekers working is unconstitutional.
“I am delighted with today’s Supreme Court decision as it vindicates campaigning by many lobby groups and NGOs over many years. This decision shows how the Department of Justice and successive Ministers for Justice were flying in the face of European norms and constitutional rights
“It is time now for the Government to immediately set a timeline for the complete and full implementation of the McMahon report. The failure to implement the McMahon Report in full, which was a compromise document between the Department of Justice and NGOs at the time, illustrates once again that the culture within the department is hostile to asylum seekers.
“Ireland has stood outside the European norm in this area for too many years and now has been effectively embarrassed into action by her own Supreme Court. The immediate implementation of the McMahon Report and the speedy legislative response to this decision would go some way to repairing Ireland’s shoddy record in this area.”