A NUMBER of orders have yet to be brought into effect to make the Refugee Act fully operative, the Seanad was told yesterday.
The House leader, Mr Maurice Manning, reacted to concerns voiced by Dr Mary Henry (Ind), who said there had been a considerable amount of confusion about refugees in recent months.
Mr Michael Mulcahy (FF) said that when the Bill was passed, last summer, it was stressed that the measure would be brought into force quickly. It was unacceptable that a proper explanation had not been forthcoming as to why it had not yet been implemented.
Mr Manning said about five orders, some of which had been signed, were needed to bring the legislation into effect. It was hoped to have most of them implemented by the end of the year. He would obtain more specific information on the dates on which the other orders would come into effect.