Opposition parties will protest next week at plans to rush a new Immigration Bill through the Dáil in one day next Wednesday. It follows a morning of uproar during yesterday's Seanad debate.
Senator Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fáil) joined Fine Gael, Labour and Independent senators yesterday in objecting to the Government speeding the Bill through the Seanad in just two hours yesterday morning.
The Bill passed all stages in the Upper House despite an opposition walk-out.
There was further controversy when the Minister of State, Mr Brian Lenihan, announced that the Government was dropping its plan to allow refusal of entry to non-nationals with disabilities, only to replace this with a new provision allowing the refusal of entry to people with a "mental disorder" as defined by the Mental Health Act, 2001.
Senator Joe O'Toole (Independent) claimed the Bill was "rooted in an Aryan philosophy that would be worthy of Nazism at its worst".
Other senators said this clause was far too broad and amounted to discrimination against those with mental illness.
Mr Lenihan sought to portray the Government amendment as very limited in its scope. This is in line with a statement by a spokesman for the Minister earlier this week that the intention was only to allow refusal of entry to people with serious psychopathic tendencies.
Mr Lenihan said the Mental Health Act defined "mental disorder" as meaning mental illness, severe dementia or significant intellectual disability where "there is a serious likelihood of the person concerned causing immediate and serious harm to himself or herself or to other persons".
This threat of harm was the key point, he said.
However, that Act contains an alternative definition for mental disorder, which is simply that the mental illness is severe enough to require admission to an approved centre.
Opposition senators suggested the amendment could have widespread application to people with mental illnesses and conditions which were not a threat to anybody.
The Government amendment was carried, however, after the opposition senators walked out of the chamber in protest at the Government forcing the Bill through.
They walked out just before the committee stage of the Bill - at which detailed amendments are discussed - so the Government amendments were carried while those from the opposition were not discussed.
Before the opposition walk-out, Dr Mansergh said he had only received the Bill yesterday morning and was not satisfied that there had been "due process" in relation to it.
"I do not like, and have never liked, authoritarianism in government," he said.
The Immigration Bill, 2004, is the response of the Minister for Justice to last week's High Court decision that current law governing the entry and control of immigrants in the State was unconstitutional.
It intends to put in place a system for the control of entry of immigrants to Ireland, the conditions under which they may stay and their obligations while they are here.