Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The Aliens Order 1946 was the foundation for practice in this area, one which is fundamental to any sovereign state. There is nothing new in the legislation, other than on the question of fees, where I accept a new element has been introduced into the equation. This is why the measure has been brought before the House. It contains nothing that was not in the foundation of our practice in this area.

I do not wish to go over the same ground again, but as a point of departure Senator Finucane suggested that our attitude to immigration was parsimonious. As I said, in introducing the measure to the House, the number of non-European Economic Area nationals legally resident in the State for more than three months registered with the Garda Síochána last year was 128,000. In 1999, the figure was 29,000. In the year 2000, the figure was 47,000. In 2001, it was 90,000 and in 2002 it was 93,000. That is not——