Government ignored warnings on immigration legislation

THE GOVERNMENT pushed through its Immigration Act despite being repeatedly warned five years ago that sections of it were unconstitutional

The then Justice Minister, John O'Donoghue, and the then Attorney General, David Byrne, ploughed ahead with the legislation, sections of which were duly found unconstitutional by the High Court this week.

Thursday's landmark ruling found that section 2.1 of the Immigration Act was unconstitutional because it sought to establish in new legislation ministerial orders made on the basis of the Aliens Act of 1945 which had never been agreed to by the Oireachtas.