Mr. Brian O'Dwyer:

I have just a few remarks and to pick up on the point made by the previous speaker, we have that problem in the United States of being categorised as white and therefore not having any problems at all. On the immigration issues in particular, we have tried hard to broaden the immigration issue to ensure it is not looked at as being merely a Latino issue. We were very pleased the other day when the President referred to the problems and made his remarks in Chicago that it was not a Latino issue but that there were many undocumented Irish and Polish immigrants. That really broadened the debate considerably, although it is particularly galling for an Irish-American to be listed as an Anglo. I have indicated to those who have called me an Anglo that generations of Irish men and women have died and shed blood not to be called that and I was not about to be called an Anglo in the United States.

There are a few things I wished to talk about and Deputy Kelleher asked about the best way in which we reach out to the elderly. There are two things we do that are important for us. One is the meals on wheels programme I mentioned. It is a very important programme because the volunteers visit elderly people in their homes. We know, of course, that it is difficult for people to reach out when they have problems. That is part of the Irish ethos but if somebody is coming into their homes, they will reach out if something is wrong and that person will be told.

In particular, at the Bronx office we have set aside a place for the elderly to drop in. We have a knitting group and Barry's tea which is the greatest therapy there is. They come in, have a cup of tea and feel at home with each other. This has had a major impact on our community in the Bronx. They would not come in to ask about a problem, but once they are in there, if there is a problem, we will know about it. If they come in, we can help them.

I want to talk a little about the immigrants who are coming now. While we can say many of them are better educated, we can also say many of the people who come are in particular need of social services, whether it be around sexual identity or just a question of not getting along at home and having a difficulty with mental problems. Unfortunately, as we say, our immigrants do not leave their problems at home when they come to New York. They come with these problems and it is up to us to try to deal with them through our social services. Because of the federal nature of the United States, we get no funding from the US Government. We are very fortunate to be in New York city, as are most of the other centres to be in cities that value and treasure their immigrant populations. We get about half our funding from New York City Council and the New York city Mayor's office which have been extraordinarily supportive of the work of the association. The Irish American caucus in the city council has been particularly good, even with the change of administration.

I note in response to Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin that we can get our people covered to age 18 years. This does not happen in all states, but they include New York, Massachusetts and some other states. It is because New York is reaching out to immigrants and has a very different view on all levels, including health and education, of the undocumented from that in Texas or South Carolina, for example. Higher education is available to our people in the City University, to which we have reached out, with in-state tuition. This has allowed them to go back to school, even without documentation.

The Deputy has rightly put his finger on what our next problem is going to be. By nature of being undocumented, our people are very wary of the government. Even when we had the Morrison visas and amnesties in the past, many of them did not even register for fear of being put on some sort of government list. Our first job is to ensure anyone who applies for the programme will not be in a worse shape at the end of three years. We have asked the government for and I am positive we will receive assurances that if a person applies for deferred action, the deferral will be kept confidential and people will not be put on a list for deportation if the next President, no matter who he or she might be - she I hope - comes down and------