Official's asylum-seekers claim 'wildly exaggerated'
The Irish Refugee Council has rejected comments about asylum-seekers made by a senior official at the Department of Justice yesterday.
Sean Aylward told the Dáil public accounts committee that the vast majority of asylum-seekers were actually economic migrants and were lying about their situations to get refugee status.
He said they had cost the Irish State €1.1bn in the past three years.
Responding to the comments today, Peter O'Mahony, the chief executive of the Refugee Council said Mr Aylward's comments were misleading and would fuel further animosity towards foreign nationals.
"They are wildly exaggerated, they're misleading and ultimately comments like this will fuel a climate which means it's easier for decision-makers on asylum claims to turn people down. A public view then develops that people didn't need asylum," he said.
