Mr. Richard King:

I thank the committee for the invitation to appear before it today. We are happy to make this presentation.

Crosscare Migrant Project is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's emigrant support programme, the HSE and Crosscare to provide an information, support and advocacy service to Irish emigrants and returning emigrants. Crosscare is a social support agency of the Dublin Archdiocese and works with people across a wide spectrum in the areas of homeless services, young people's services and older people's supports and community services.

Since the 1940s, Crosscare has worked with Irish emigrants. In 1987, our predecessor, Emigrant Advice, was established which worked with people leaving Ireland in the 1980s. In the 1990s we started to work with the people returning home and, more recently, we have broadened our remit to include all Irish emigrants wherever they may be. We have a long history of providing support to individuals and families. We work closely with organisations such as the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas, homeless services in Dublin and the other emigrant support programme-funded groups.

In addition to our face-to-face and information provision work, which is a huge part of our work, we have conducted much research on policy related issues in the past six years, including presenting to another joint committee on the issue of access to social welfare for returning emigrants. In 2012, 2013 and 2014 we conducted research into new emigration, including people accessing welfare and homeless services in the UK, recent emigrants to Canada and the mental health needs of recent emigrants through a global online survey promoted through social media.

We would like to welcome the review of the diaspora policy initiated earlier this year by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I very much look forward to the outcome. We would also like to acknowledge the very significant development of the appointment of the first dedicated Minister for the Diaspora, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan in July 2014.

I will hand over to my colleague Mr. Joe O'Brien.