The Government is to introduce legislation on immigration and residence permits "on a priority basis", the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, has said.
In a written reply to a Dail question tabled by the Democratic Left spokeswoman on justice, Ms Liz McManus, Mr O'Donoghue said that work was proceeding on the legislation, in response to the recommendations of the Interdepartmental Committee on Immigration, Asylum and Related Issues.
Mr O'Donoghue said the Committee had recommended, and the Government accepted, that an amnesty should not be granted to asylum seekers.
The Committee had recommended, he said, that "new legislation should be brought forward on immigration matters which should cover visas and other preentry clearance systems, admissions and refusal of admissions, residence permits and the regulation of employment, long term inward migration and a more straightforward system for removal of persons who have no permission to be in the State."
According to the Minister the Committee also recommended, and it was accepted by the Government, that when the new system of residence permits was in place "the providers of publicly funded services such as social welfare, health, education, employment training and accommodation should notify the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform of applicants for these services who do not have the appropriate documentation".
In a statement last night Ms McManus said the Government decisions meant that they had "effectively scrapped the 1996 Refugee Act" and were replacing it with a "zero tolerance" approach to asylum seekers.
She added that if the Government proposals to give legislative effect to the committee's recommendations were implemented this would result in many immigrants being denied essential State services.
"The Government's commitment to fairness and transparency in dealing with asylum seekers can be measured by the fact that although the committee made its recommendations in February, the Minister did not see fit to announce its conclusions until his reply to a Dail question I tabled last week," she said.
In his Dail reply, Mr O'Donoghue said the Government also accepted the recommendations for legislation to criminalise trafficking in illegal immigrants and "to penalise persons who employ such persons".