Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

I reject entirely the Minister's suggestion of xenophobia. All I am asking is for him to do his job under the Act. I remind him that under the same Act, the courts in Ireland have the right to make a recommendation on deportation.

The Minister has not answered my questions today nor did he answer them on 10 or 23 May. Does he have available to him the figures for the number of non-nationals released from prison or the number considered by him for deportation? Is it correct that in the entire period since 1999, or for the period for which he gave one answer — the past 12 months — only four such people have been deported? Has he information as to offences committed by such people? Has he made inquiries of the Garda to obtain the relevant information which I sought in the public interest.

All I want are the facts; we can draw conclusions afterwards. Why is the Minister hiding the facts or putting up a smokescreen pretending the facts are not available? What we are getting is reaction politics as opposed to the Minister showing he has done his job. What he has shown so far is that he has not done his job. He does not have the information.

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