A spokesman for the Department of Justice has described as "ill informed" the comments made at yesterday's Irish Medical Conference in Killarney. The spokesman said the comments do nothing to serve the interests of immigrants. The conference was told the new Immigration Bill, currently before the Dáil, requires medical personnel to report asylum seekers seeking medical attention to the Immigration Authorities.
A spokesman for the Minister of Justice, Equality and Law Reform John O'Donoghue emphatically rejected the allegations. He said the provision of medical facilities to asylum seekers, which the State is obliged to provide, is not altered by the Bill in question and any suggestions otherwise were completely wide of the mark.
