Asylum-seekers to be interviewed in Dublin

The asylum-seekers who arrived in Rosslare last week will be brought to Dublin shortly to be interviewed about their applications to remain in the State, a Department of Justice spokesman said last night.

The Department's intention is that asylum-seekers will have their cases considered, assessed, and decided on within four to six months.

However, the spokesman said anyone who had an opportunity to apply for asylum in another EU country might be considered to be a "Dublin Convention case", and would consequently quickly be invited to leave the State or be deported back to the first EU country in which they landed.

Asylum-seekers whose applications are rejected have the right to appeal to an independent authority and can expect a decision quickly. Those who have their applications rejected on appeal have the right to ask the Department of Justice to be allowed to stay in the State for a specific humanitarian reason.

The spokesman said that while pregnancy does not enter into the question of whether an asylum-seeker should be granted refugee status, it could be taken into consideration in an appeal to be allowed to stay in the country.

He said any children born to an illegal immigrant in the State would automatically become Irish citizens. However, whether the mother would be allowed to remain would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. He said the question was a complex one which would have to be considered with reference to the rights of the family in the Constitution.

The spokesman said Department officials and senior gardai were in regular contact with the French authorities and had travelled to the ports of Cherbourg and Le Havre.