Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Staunton. He made some very valid points on the diaspora. We seem to aim at the well-off and well-to-do and seem to have a policy of extracting as much as we can out of them and other than St. Patrick's Day, that is about it.

I would like Mr. Staunton's view on extending the vote, on which he touched. The Constitutional Convention seemed to pose a radical proposal to extend the vote in the presidential election. However, of the 115 countries which give votes to their citizens overseas, only eight restrict it to presidential elections. Of those eight, they are all executive presidents. What Ireland proposes to do - I do not think we will do it in the lifetime of this Government - is to give the lowest expression of democratic representation to its citizens in the North and overseas in a presidential election. The role of the President is largely ceremonial. We talk about extending voting rights to our diaspora, and possibly a reformed Seanad would be a way to do that. I do not believe Members of the Dáil would allow membership to be decided on by anybody living outside their constituencies.

I refer to the concept of a Minister or a junior Minister for the Irish overseas and the diaspora, possibly tied into trade. Other countries have one. Israel has moved that ministry into its prime minister's office, such is the importance it places on its diaspora.

Countries with a large diaspora such as India and China have ministers for the diaspora. We have one of the largest diasporas in the world, yet we do not have a Minister for the diaspora. We have a Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade who deals with every issue in the world. We have what Kingsley Aikins referred to as a national asset, yet we do not deploy enough resources to it. We do not have a co-ordinating Minster who would be a touchstone for the diaspora. If someone has an issue in Boston, he or she to go to the consulate, the consulate might have to refer it to the ambassador, the ambassador will bring it to the foreign affairs and Irish overseas sections, which might bring it to the Secretary General who might bring it to the attention of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Every citizen should have direct access to a Minister who is representing him or her. Does Mr. Staunton believe that is something that should arise out of this White Paper, which would be a solid commitment by this Government, or any future Government, that Ministers would not just show up at meet and greet events on St. Patrick's Day? I have always said that we should send out every Minister and every Minister of State on St. Patrick's Day. As the witness would know in Washington, we have an opportunity that countries would give their first born to have in terms of our access to the American system but also the systems in Australia and New Zealand, which always welcome us.

I raise a smaller issue which the witness might respond to given his experience in Washington. The Haass negotiations in the North have not been successful. For the past two years we have not had a counterpart ambassador here. Ambassador Rooney was an excellent ambassador who travelled to all counties. I know there are many issues in Washington that have little to do with us and over which we have little control, but what effect is the lack of an appointment of a United States ambassador to Ireland having on us in terms of trying to resolve the issues in the North, and what effect is it having on investment?