Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I cannot put my hand on my heart and say in respect of any individual that she was drawn to Ireland by the prospect of citizenship for her son unless I conduct a long-term interview with that person. That is not practicable. All the objective people who have looked at this matter, all those involved in the maternity hospitals and all the expert advisers in my Department examining migration patterns say it is a significant attraction coming to Ireland that citizenship will inure to their children if they come to Ireland, either as an asylum seeker or as sombody coming to our maternity hospitals at a late stage. I believe them.

The other side of the coin is that I am faced with scepticism, people saying they do not believe it and asking for proof. None of those people has gone to any maternity hospital and produced a matron, a nurse or anybody else. Neither has any of them gone to the Garda National Immigration Bureau, any immigration official or anybody in the area and produced one objective person who would say citizenship is not a significant draw in migration patterns into Ireland.