Non-national birth figures held until after referendum, says Rabbitte

LABOUR PARTY leader Pat Rabbitte has accused the Government of withholding statistics he had requested on non-Irish hospital births until the referendum vote was over.

Figures released yesterday show that 4,625 babies were born to non-national mothers in Dublin’s three maternity hospitals in 2003.

There were 1,528 babies registered to Nigerian mothers, the highest non-Irish category.