Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

On the other hand, that person may have behaved notoriously badly in another country and the notification may have been sent forward to the Irish authorities. That has happened. It is a matter of discretion for the immigration officer. The immigration provision in the United Kingdom states that an immigration officer must refuse leave to land to a person on confirmation from a medical inspector that for medical reasons it is undesirable to admit a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom. That covers a multitude. The immigration officer must only conclude that it is undesirable to allow a person to land. It is at his or her discretion and he or she cannot be questioned. The United Kingdom is not worried about SARS, syphilis or communicable or non-communicable diseases. It is not going into the same detail as we are. The immigration officer has total discretion to refuse a person leave to land. Even with this emergency legislation we are putting through today, our regime is infinitely more liberal.