The Government is considering legislation which would allow the detention of asylum seekers while their applications are being processed, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said today.
The provision may be included in the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill being introduced during this parliamentary term.
During an address at a meeting of the Law Society in Dublin this morning, Mr McDowell said he was examining similar measures in the UK and Netherlands.
"I am looking seriously at the possibility of including in this bill provisions, such as those operating with success in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, for detaining selected protection claimants on arrival in the state or on later making their claims for protection, with a view to processing the claims to finality, with whatever appeal stages are necessary, as a matter of great priority and, if they turn out to be without foundation, removing the claimants forthwith from the state."
"Many of those who come to Ireland to claim protection do not come from such trouble-spots and are not subject to persecution, but have paid people-smugglers to come here and make claims that turn out to be spurious."
"This does a disservice to Ireland as host; but more importantly, it does a disservice to those who are in genuine need of Ireland's protection because our systems are clogged up with claims that turn out to be groundless," he said.
Ireland has a rapidly growing legal migrant worker population from the European Union accession states but Mr McDowell said he was targeting those entering through the back door.