Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The effect of this amendment is to extend the areas to be covered by the Bill to tribunals to which the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921 applies. The proposed amendment could hold for any tribunal that is set up. We know that a rake of tribunals have been the subject of considerable controversy and have generated extreme public anger and annoyance as a consequence of the amount of money expended.

The specific groups that prompted me to ask Deputy Donnelly to table this amendment gave evidence to the committee at the pre-legislative stage. These included groups and organisations representing asylum seekers and refugees who are very concerned by what they see as the shroud of secrecy that exists around the asylum process and appeals. They want the Refugee Appeals Tribunal to be subject to requests under FOI so that they could get information. They have also proposed areas such as Refugee Applications Commissioner, the Garda National Immigration Bureau, the naturalisation and immigration-----