Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny last night defended his decision to raise immigration as a subject for political debate and said some of the initial reaction to his speech had clearly been based on an incomplete understanding of what he actually said.
Mr Kenny has been criticised by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, who expressed surprise at the timing of the speech. It was also criticised by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
Mr Kenny said that his critics should read his speech and see what he had actually said before commenting on it.
"I raised the issue of a national debate on immigration at a recent Fine Gael meeting because so many of the people I meet on my travels around the country are concerned that the system we have at the moment isn't working.
"Crucially, they see that the system isn't working for either the Irish or the immigrants coming to our country. I want us, as a country, to address this issue now, get it right and avoid the mistakes made in other countries," he said.
Mr Kenny expressed the hope that his speech would trigger a genuine and informed debate involving both the Irish and the new immigrant communities.
"It was obvious that some of the initial reaction to my speech must have been based on an incomplete understanding of what I actually said.
"Hopefully as this debate develops more people will read my speech and contribute to the process of ensuring that we make the right changes now that give us a system that is good for the Irish and good for immigrants."
In the course of his speech the Fine Gael leader said that "as a Celtic and Christian people, we understand better than most the special challenges of immigration and integrating new communities."
Mr Martin questioned the timing of Mr Kenny's speech the day before a new system of work permits for immigrant was formally introduced and he described the Fine Gael leader's intervention as "too little, too late."
He also expressed surprise that Mr Kenny was calling for a debate at this stage considering that the issue had been debated in the Dáil and that most Fine Gael and Labour TDs had supported the Government plans for a new system of immigrant visas.