"Urban myths" of asylum-seekers receiving cash payments from health boards are feeding the growth of racism in Irish society, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, warned today.
"They should be rejected out of hand by all sensible people every time they are pedalled as representing absolute facts," he said.
Speaking this morning at a Know Racism Conference in the Royal Hospital, Kilamainham, Mr McDowell said public debate on racism mainly focuses on asylum-seekers and it was imperative that the Government and the public work to "dispel misinformation" on this section of the community.
"It is wrong to blame shortcomings in our social services on the availability of housing and so forth on the arrival of asylum-seekers to our shores."
He noted that the Government has set the question of racism as a priority and allocated €2.59 million to anti-racism initiatives, as well as updating anti-discrimination legislation.
