FG briefing:Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has promised to appoint a minister for immigration affairs to overhaul what he described as Ireland's "dysfunctional immigration system".
Mr Kenny said yesterday that his party would introduce a rigorous system to screen people coming into the country from outside the EU for criminal records and enforce severe penalties for employers who pay immigrants below the legal rates.
"We need to find out who is here and what their skill levels are. For future people coming here it's important to send out a message that this country is not a soft touch for serious criminals, and can never be seen as such," he said.
Mr Kenny said Ireland currently has an unmanaged system that is not good for the Irish or for immigrants.
Speaking on a visit to Lucan in Co Dublin yesterday, Mr Kenny said Fine Gael will adopt three principles to make immigration work for Ireland: to focus on immigrant rights and responsibilities, to manage immigration in a way that keeps Ireland safe and to ensure that immigration improves, not threatens, living standards.
He said schools have a particular challenge when it comes to immigration, with some schools now accommodating children from over 30 different countries.
"We need to ensure that immigrant children can progress in our schools, while at the same time making sure the education of Irish children is not held back," he said after visiting St Thomas's Junior National School in Lucan, Co Dublin, and meeting teachers and pupils.
Of the 463 students at that school, 27 per cent are international, representing 32 different countries. The school, said Mr Kenny, has been left without the support it needs.
He said Fine Gael would employ 500 additional English-language teachers without delay and would update teacher- training to better equip teachers for the modern classroom.
The party would also address the English-language needs of foreign national parents with classes during school hours.