The Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Dr Michael Geary, confirmed the hospital receives women in labour who have just come off a flight into Dublin Airport, contradicting Labour Party views on so-called citizenship tourists.

The assertion by Labour justice spokesman Joe Costello that there was nothing to suggest non-nationals presenting to hospitals in an advanced stage of pregnancy were coming from abroad was dismissed by Dr Geary. "Ambulances have come directly from the airport in recent years. We have certainly had a couple of cases in the last number of months," he said.

According to Dr Geary, 15% of non-nationals turn up at the hospital in labour and another 15% arrive for the first time in the latter stages of pregnancy within 10 days of giving birth, with a significant proportion presenting in the last month.

"We see a significant number who have just turned up on Irish soil."

The category of non-national giving birth has changed. A few years ago, up to 80% of mothers were seeking asylum, but now only 20% are asylum seekers and 80% are financially independent.

Similar to his colleagues, Dr Geary says his principal concern is the safety of patients and points to three near-miss maternal mortalities involving non-nationals arriving from abroad.

"These are issues we need to highlight. It makes no sense. Why should someone who is residing in the UK, or elsewhere in Europe, get on a plane at 40 weeks?

"There are a lot of people who are specifically coming here for the specific reason of having their baby on Irish soil," he added.

The suggestion non-nationals are coincidentally in the country on a visit when they go into labour just doesn't wash with Dr Geary. "It happens too often. We are here and we don't discriminate between patients, but the major issue is the damaging practice of travelling late in pregnancy."

At a Labour Party event last week, Mr Costello described the proof of citizenship tourism as merely anecdotal. As a long-time member of the Rotunda board, the Dublin Central TD said over 80% of non-nationals coming into that hospital were already living in Ireland. "There have been many problems with non-nationals arriving at an advanced stage of pregnancy but there's nothing to suggest those non-nationals are coming from abroad, rather than non-nationals who are here by virtue of a right to work, here as a migrant worker, have permits here, or that there would be non-nationals who are here on another basis, other than those who are coming here for a specific purpose," he said.