Report criticises Ireland's handling of immigrants

IRELAND needs to accept that immigration is here to stay and learn to deal with it properly in order for the economy and society to benefit from the experience, a new European report has recommended.

The report, compiled for the European Migration Network (EMN) by the Economic and Social Research Institute, found that migration into Ireland has hugely benefited the booming economy since the mid-1990s by providing much-needed labour and opening up new trade and enterprise possibilities.

However, the EMN, in a series of four reports on immigrants and asylum seekers published yesterday, is critical of the often haphazard and ad-hoc manner in which the authorities in Ireland have reacted to the recent increase in non-nationals living and working here.

"Acceptance of the fact that immigration is likely to continue in the future, and that it is necessary if Ireland is to avoid shortages in certain occupations, would create a better climate for the development of a more managed immigration policy geared to the needs of the economy and society," the reports found.

Identifying many gaps in the available knowledge of how immigrants actually impact on the economy and society here, the reports criticise the Government's failure to undertake studies of how successful or otherwise its policies on immigration and asylum seekers actually are.

"It is necessary that they should do so to ensure that the public know what action is taken to balance the needs of the local and immigrant populations," the reports concluded.

Identifying several areas requiring more research, yesterday's reports called for further examination of how non-nationals appear to be isolated from the native population.

The reports also criticised the fact that too much public focus goes on asylum seekers to the detriment of migrants.

Controversially, the reports also question the use of the current direct provision policy for asylum seekers and calls for research into whether those applying for refugee status should be granted some additional form of social welfare.

Under direct provision, asylum seekers are dispersed throughout the State in accommodation centres, the cost of which rose to €83.6m last year, a 9% increase on the 2003 figure of €76.5m.