Bishops critical of asylum rules

Bishop John Kirby, chairman of Trocaire, and Bishop Laurence Ryan, president of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace, have criticised the new Departmental procedures announced by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, to deal with the backlog of asylum seekers. They said the rights of asylum seekers had been cut back from the rights accorded in the 1996 Refugee Act and the appeal procedure to a higher officer in the Department of Justice could not be regarded as independent. They also criticised the lack of appropriate legal aid and interpreting facilities for those seeking asylum.