‘Little of substance’ in Flanagan statement on asylum seekers’ right to work ruling

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has come under criticism for saying “very little of substance” in his statement to the Seanad on the Supreme Court ruling on asylum seekers’ right to work.

Mr Flanagan announced this week that he will seek approval to convene an inter-departmental working group to examine the implications of the ruling.

He resisted a call from Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh to commit to bringing forward legislation before Christmas.

Dublin solicitor Wendy Lyon, who specialises in immigration and refugee law, told ILN that Mr Flanagan said “very little of substance”.

She said he had repeated “the ludicrous claim that the Common Travel Area will somehow be affected if asylum seekers are granted a right to work”, adding: “There’s no basis whatsoever for this suggestion.”

Mr Flanagan also said the judgment “should not be looked at in isolation” without recognising ongoing efforts to improve processing times, including by commencing the International Protection Act 2015.

Ms Lyon said: “Six months into the operation of the new law, I am still not seeing any signs of improvement in processing times. The Minister won’t be able to rely on that excuse forever.”