Access to Justice
Access to Justice |
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Back to Contents Paul Daly, RDC Quinn, Emma; Stanley, John; Joyce, Corona; O’Connell, Philip J. (2008) The Economic and Social Research Institute Dublin. At the launch of the Handbook on Immigration and Asylum in Ireland 2007 Manuel Jordão, UNHCR Representative in Ireland, said that this was the kind of book that he would have liked to have had presented to him at the start of his time here in order to read the legislative and policy background to asylum and immigration in Ireland. It is certainly true that this handbook fills an important gap in the market because much of the information in the book can be found nowhere else. The book is divided into five main sections: statistics; policy; legislation; case law; organisations, agencies and researchers. Chapter 2 gives an overview of available statistics on flows and stocks of immigrants and also looks at the demographic, ethnic, religious and employment-related characteristics of non-Irish nationals in Ireland. Chapter 3 contains a discussion of the large number of new domestic policies such as family reunification, the habitual residency condition for applying for social welfare and various asylum procedures. Chapter 4 provides information on the domestic legislation introduced in response to the new inflows which includes of course EU law. Chapter 5 contains summaries of important decisions of the High Court and Supreme Court, the European Court of Justice and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. Chapters 6 and 7 give information on researchers from State and non-governmental organisations who investigate the social and economic implications of immigration. Chapter 8 lists recent and current research. Although the book has 2007 in its title, it provides valuable updates on 2008 legislation such as the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking Act 2008) and proposed legislation such as the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008. I understand that it is proposed to publish subsequent editions of this handbook in the future to take into account new developments. This edition, however, is simply invaluable to everyone working in the asylum and immigration areas. The Handbook is available free on the ESRI website. A print copy of the publication is available at a price of €50.00 from the ESRI. |
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