The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, has warned that a furore "bordering on racism" has been created surrounding the issue of refugees.
"Some election candidates are seeking to prey on people's fears and whip up racial prejudice in areas with a high concentration of foreign nationals. This is to buy votes at the expense of the human rights of others who unfortunately have nobody to represent them."
He added: "There is undoubtedly a problem. The unexpected number of refugees arriving in Ireland has put a strain on the systems we have in place and these must be improved." However, he said, most of the refugees "have been through an immense ordeal that is still not over and at the very least they are deserving of our compassion".
