Nearly nine out of 10 asylum-seekers are currently being refused refugee status, according to Department of Justice figures.
In the first two months of this year 49 asylum-seekers were granted such status, and thus the right to remain in the country, out of 426 applicants whose cases were decided. Last year 168 were given refugee status out of 1,370 whose applications were decided.
In 1997 refugee status was granted more liberally, with 213 out of 517 successful in their applications.
The Minister for Justice's power to allow people to stay on humanitarian grounds, even when they are not eligible for refugee status, has been hardly used at all in the past two years, since the Government took office.
In 1997 this ministerial power was exercised 120 times. Mr O'Donoghue came into office in June of that year. In 1998 and in the first two months of this year it was not exercised once. The total number of new applications reached a high point of 4,626 last year. Since then the employment of more than 140 new officials and the opening of a "one stop" shop in Dublin has reduced the backlog.
However, Labour's justice spokesman, Mr Brendan Howlin TD, said there was still a backlog of 7,000 cases, and the Government's approach "needs to undergo a radical overhaul". He said the Government had "singularly failed to develop a comprehensive strategy on immigration policy or asylum-seekers. The result of this dereliction of duty is that asylum-seekers must endure constant insecurity on the margins of society while awaiting a decision on their cases."
He said the vast majority of asylum-seekers appeal the rejection of their applications, and if their appeals fail "they have usually been in the country for so long that there are credible grounds to apply to stay for humanitarian reasons".
Mr Gay Mitchell TD of Fine Gael said it was time this State "took in a reasonable quota of immigrants - clearly there are refugees coming who simply cannot go back to their countries".
He warned that if the Government did not become pro-active about this issue, "racism and xenophobia" would grow, particularly in Dublin.
He urged the Government to accept "a decent, informal quota of immigrants - people we're prepared to let in and integrate".
He also highlighted the Central Bank's last report pointing to labour shortages in the Irish economy, noting that many asylum-seekers had skills and even those who did not could take jobs in shops and other places which Irish people would not take.