I move amendment No. 13:
In page 6, lines 37 to 41, to delete subsection (1) and substitute the following:
"8. (1) The Board shall, after the end of each 6 month period, submit a report in writing to the Minister of its activities during the previous 6 months and, not later than one month after such submission, the Minister shall cause a copy of the report to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.".
The number of refugees arriving in Ireland would allow for this to be done. Six months is a reasonable period. One month after the Minister receives the report also seems to be a reasonable period. The peak number of refugees coming to Ireland in recent years, excluding the Vietnamese refugees, was about 90 and the average is between 40 and 50. In a six month period 20 to 25 applicants would be received and adjudicated on. I do not think it would be a major task to lay a report before each House of the Oireachtas one month after the six month period has ended. It is not as if we will have 500,000 refugees as they have in countries like Germany. We are surrounded by water and there is not much prospect of a large number of people coming through Northern Ireland. For the foreseeable future the average number of refugees coming here will certainly be less than 100 and probably less than 50. To compile reports of this kind after a six month period and to present them to both Houses of the Oireachtas within a month is a reasonable requirement and I hope the Minister will find it possible to accept the amendment.