Tom Morrissey (Progressive Democrats)

This is not about numbers, it is about integrity. Perhaps the Labour Party is not aware of the legal loophole which exists. However, the Government is aware of it and is attempting to close it. It is the function and responsibility of Government to do so. A master of one of the maternity hospitals stated that women have arrived in Ireland in advanced stages of labour and that luckily there have been no fatalities. I wonder what the Opposition would have to say if there had been fatalities. What would it have to say about a Government that allowed that to happen by not closing the legal loophole?

We must ensure, during the wider debate on immigration and asylum, that the system has integrity if it is to gain public confidence. That is what we are doing today. This legislation will dispel a myth; it is not about ridding this country of black people as some would have us believe. It relates to the closing of a legal loophole in terms of citizenship. Our policy, following acceptance of the amendment on 11 June, will remain the most liberal in the expanded European Union. I commend the Bill to the House.