A former High Court judge has called for an amnesty for asylum seekers stuck in the application process for five years or more, saying the gesture would honour the ideals of the 1916 rebels.

It should have been easy to decide on an allowance increase for those in Direct Provision. However, these people have been let down again, writes Sue Conlon            

The Government has been asked to take in refugees from Afghanistan displaced by the current conflict in their country and the effects of drought.