Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Regarding what will happen now, I have indicated that we will take a common sense, decent and pragmatic approach to the numbers of people in this country who in effect arrived before the Supreme Court decision when the law was different — as perhaps were expectations — to what it will now be. It is not reasonable to think that everyone was reading the Irish reports in foreign places. We must have a decent, pragmatic approach. As time goes by it is clear that where children are being brought up in an Irish school, have Irish friends and so on, common humanity says that we should not then start disassembling those families, breaking them up and sending them away. Equally, I could not just have some kind of legislative amnesty. For instance, that would simply have the effect of saying to Mrs. Chen, who came to Northern Ireland to have a child, that if she is in any difficulty she can come to Ireland again, just like that. There are also many people who came to Ireland from Nigeria and have gone back with passports in their back pockets, saying to Ireland, "Thank you, that is one in the bank". An amnesty would allow them to suddenly return to Ireland with their entire families, siblings and so on and announce they have now arrived by right in the European Union.

I will not do something of that kind but I will address on a pragmatic basis the people who are now in a form of limbo. I will bring forward proposals to deal with their situation in a decent way. That is all we can do.