Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I attended a wedding in Cuba on this day 17 years ago. I am wishing I was back there now rather than sitting here.

Anyone who visits Cuba is impressed by its healthcare and education systems, the arts and the country's climate, as well as the friendliness of the people. There is a relationship and warmth between the Irish and the Cuban peoples. There is a realisation that we have something in common. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan spoke about our difficult relationship with our largest neighbour. We have much in common with humour and other traits too.

When I visited Cuba, I saw people queuing up for food but I did not see any homeless individuals like one would see in Ireland. People's living conditions were basic. There was great hope after the former US President, Barack Obama, shook hands with the Cuban President, Raul Castro, that things would open up. Unfortunately, it has not happened.

The Irish President, Michael D. Higgins, visited Cuba last year and spoke about building a mutual relationship between Ireland and Cuba. What concrete steps can the Irish Government and people take to improve Irish-Cuban relations? While we are all concerned by the sanctions, not many people understand their impact and how it affects simple things such as banking. For example, if a company trading with Cuba uses a bank which has a subsidiary in the US, the bank is open to fines. There is a concern that there may be a trade war between Europe and the US. Some of the sanctions which impact on Cuba may happen in Europe too. I wish Mr. González Llort well with building relations with Ireland and Europe.

We have a Cuban solidarity group in the Parliament. It is one of the more active ones. I am sure Mr. González Llort will encourage Irish people to travel to Cuba. Meeting people at first hand is the best way of building friendships.

When I was in Cuba, there was much coverage about the arrest of Mr. González Llort and his four colleagues in the US. The American Government claimed they were spying and were a threat to America. I understand Mr. González Llort's group was trying to infiltrate groups involved in no-warning bombing campaigns, blowing up aeroplanes and killing innocent people, and not just in Cuba. He wanted to get information to prevent such attacks. The Cuban Government at the time sent back information to the US authorities about what was happening. Many of us would see what he was doing was positive but the American Government had a different view. Will he elaborate on his experience in the American jail system? I am glad he is now home with his family and I congratulate him on his election to the Cuban Parliament. I hope there are concrete steps our Government and this committee can take to build on the friendship between the two countries.