Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our visitors. They have done the State some service by producing this very thought-provoking study. There is much in it that we probably knew already, but it is very useful to see it in print and set out in an easily-read format. Deputy Durkan spoke about some parts of the country suffering from emigration much more than others. I am from Ballinasloe in County Galway, where the surrounding areas have lost significant numbers of manufacturing jobs in the past decade. Many of the small towns and villages in that locality have been decimated by emigration. Many of the people who have gone have done well but many yearn to return to Ireland in the future. There is an onus on the Government in this regard, and I am glad to see it devoting such major attention to job creation. I have a number of family members in Australia, who are doing well, but some of them keep inquiring of me whether things are improving because they hope to return to Ireland to work in the future. One of the important points in the report is the significant change in age structure in the country. We could fast become a nation of elderly and very young people. There will be a lost generation if we do not accelerate the creation of employment.

Improvements in ICT and communications have brought about a much better situation than was experienced by people who emigrated many years ago. Family members overseas say they probably speak to parents and other relatives more often now than they did when they were at home. It is important that we keep that connection. I support the idea of having a Minister of State who would connect with emigrants and the Irish diaspora. I hope our Ministers will go abroad in the future and try to attract many of those people to return to fill key positions in companies here. I would especially like to see this connection between the Minister and emigrants who are faring less well than the well educated, highly skilled people who have emigrated. There are many, as we know, in communities in the UK and other parts of the world who have not been so fortunate and who have suffered from problems with drink and addiction, and all the problems we have at home. I am concerned that those people do not have the backup and services they need. It is important for them to have a Minister.

Our embassies are stretched but I would like there to be encouragement of a greater connection between our emigrants abroad and the embassies in those countries. I could not disagree with the suggestion about data collection. That should be much easier to do now because of technology. On votes for emigrants, there is a logistical issue and there are problems and difficulties there. I welcome the fact that there is a commitment to give emigrants a vote in presidential elections in the future. We can start from there and hopefully progress that further.