Seán Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

People believe the system should be changed so it cannot be used in situations where there is no demonstrable allegiance to the State. There also does not appear to be any quid pro quo in the process of citizenship by birth and there is a feeling abroad that people are pulling the wool over the eyes of the nation.

Irish citizenship is being used in an unintentional way which is embarrassing to the State. As other Members mentioned, there is the case of Ms Man Levette Chen and her daughter, Kunqian Catherine Zhu, who have appealed to the European Court of Justice a decision of the British Home Secretary that they do not have the right to reside in the UK. Ms Chen and her husband work for a Chinese company exporting goods to the EU. They came to the UK when she was approximately six months pregnant and acting on legal advice received from a lawyer in the UK, Ms Chen travelled to Belfast in July 2000, where she had her baby on 16 September 2000. I do not in any way want to cast aspersions on Ms Chen. The facts of the case are what I am highlighting. It is her legal team who suggested to her that she go to Ireland and have the child born there so the mother would be dependent on the child for immigration status.

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