Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for being with us and, more importantly, for the good work they do across the ocean in the US. It is very important to us. We have very keen bonds of kinship with the US and the people there. This session is very important. I salute the good work of the witnesses. I have been very much aware for a long time of Ciaran Staunton's work and have spoken to him by telephone in the past. What the witnesses are doing is great.

I am delighted that the J1 visas are coming back. I hope this can be expedited. My youngest son aspires to one for next year. It is an important rite of passage. My son will be very disappointed if he does not have it for next year. At present, my office is dealing with a student who got a place in Springfield University but cannot get the relevant visa processed by the embassy in Dublin in time for the first semester.

That is a real issue. If it is an issue for the person dealing with my office, that person, obviously, is by no means alone. We are doing everything - contacting the embassy, etc. - but it seems the best on offer is something like November. I do not know whether the witnesses can do anything about that or comment on it.

The undocumented Irish are a subject that is really dear to all our hearts in that it involves people not being able to return for funerals, weddings or other family events, and there is a huge amount of emotional trauma and distress there. I have heard through my office from a few people who are undocumented and were caught. They were silly enough to leave New York state but then went to hell and back with custody, being held over, delayed flights and, basically, a lack of civil liberties, you could say, and abuse for a period before being deported. Perhaps the witnesses would like to comment on that or how widespread it is. Obviously, I do not want to cite the individual case but it was a pitiful example. We are concerned, obviously, about access for the undocumented Irish. Could the witnesses comment more on the status of the E3 visa situation? There were hopes, because it seems Australia does not take up the full numbers, that a considerable number of E3 visas could be available to our undocumented if they could be got on stream. The witnesses might elaborate on that, where we are at or what they could do about that specifically.

I salute what the witnesses did about the welfare for people who could not access the normal support systems during Covid. Could they comment on numbers in that regard? That has to have been a traumatic position for anybody not to be able to avail of state support yet to be displaced from his or her job. I may not have heard Mr. Staunton correctly but I think he attempted to outline some of the measurements or figures on the undocumented Irish. I thought I heard a figure of 5,000. Mr. Staunton might revert to those figures a little at some point if he does not mind so we hear what he thinks the figures are now.

Turning to the people who are documented, there should not be a great need there. Perhaps the witnesses would like to comment a little more on the impact of Covid and displacement on those people in the context of jobs and what kind of welfare was needed.

I salute the work the witnesses do. It is important. This touches the heartstrings of everybody in Ireland. We all have our cousins and our friends in America, we have that bond and we watch this space very carefully. I thank the witnesses.