Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Chairman and members for attending. As they will be aware, the position of Minister of State with special responsibility for the diaspora is a new, challenging and exciting role, which has been well received all over the world. Everyone I have met on all levels during my visits to Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States has been very positive about it. Those working in the various centres I visited, people on Capitol Hill and Washington, including the Friends of Ireland group and various other Representatives with Irish DNA are all very excited about the post. I believe it will be an important role in the future and will connect Ireland and the broader diaspora.

I am delighted to be the first Minister of State with special responsibility for the diaspora. It is very important that future Governments retain the position. I intend to lay foundations for it through the diaspora strategy about which the Chairman and Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked. The strategy will go to Cabinet next Tuesday week and I will publish it immediately thereafter. I will be pleased to appear before the joint committee to discuss its various provisions. While it does not provide for a single major new initiative, it contains many smaller initiatives. I am convinced that, if implemented, it will make a major difference. I have included in the report a clause providing for a review of the strategy after two years. If members have any proposals to add to the strategy, we will try to implement them.

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan also asked about the emigrant support programme. I was not familiar with the programme before my appointment. The Irish abroad unit, which was established in the Department in 2004, has proved to be very successful. It administers the emigrant support programme centrally, with a specific individual having responsibility for each of the major countries. This approach works well because the individuals in question have continuous and direct contact with the various emigrant centres. This is a very good way to administer funds. An audit programme of the various recipients of funding is under way. For example, audits are taking place in the United States this year and a number were completed in the United Kingdom last year. This is important from the point of view of validation.

Contact between the Irish abroad unit and all the emigrant centres is ongoing. This year, for example, funding has been maintained at €11.6 million and I will receive an additional €1 million from the Department of the Taoiseach, which also has a role in this area. Total funding will be €12.6 million.

It is extraordinary that Ireland is the only country in the world that does this type of work. Other countries use our services. We should recognise the role played by previous Ministers and officials in the Department in this area. We are unique in this area. Other countries are examining the way in which the private and public sectors are working together on this very successful initiative.

Reference was made to RTE's long wave 252 service, which is very important to Irish emigrants in the United Kingdom, especially the elderly. As a result of excellent lobbying at home but especially abroad, the service will continue until 2017. At the time, I noted the absence of research to determine exactly how many people listen to RTE's long wave service. We are now in negotiations with RTE on this matter.

Deputy Brendan Smith referred to the funding required for the transmission of RTE's longwave service. The Department will fund research to determine the number of people using the service and ensure we have a proper database.

Going back to what Deputy Smith said about funding transmission, we are going to fund research to determine the number of people using it in order that we have a proper database to determine its importance and, hopefully, decide on its continuity. The research into listenership will take place shortly.

Deputy Quinn mentioned St. Patrick's Day and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade mentioned that it is a major opportunity for our country. No other country, apart from Ireland, gets access to the White House on its national day. No other country gets the type of coverage we get all over the world. When I was in my previous Department, I assembled a group looking to internationalise St. Patrick's Day. There was a proposal to have two culture nights. Culture night works very well and having a second one would only dilute the effect of culture night as we are used to it. In its place, I suggested an initiative to internationalise St. Patrick's Day and to brand it as an international day for Irish culture. We are working on the process and it is referred to as the diaspora strategy. No country has this opportunity and so many iconic buildings all over the world have been greened. It resonates with people all over the world.

Deputy Eric Byrne referred to brand Ireland. The people I have met all over the world are very conscious of their image and the fact that they are ambassadors for Ireland. It is important that isolated incidents, such as those in Australia, do not recur. The local population in San Francisco, which I will be visiting shortly, was embarrassed and annoyed about what happened last year with some J1 students. The message is that everyone, including students leaving the country, is an Irish ambassador promoting brand Ireland and it is very important people behave responsibly. They should always keep that at the back of their minds when they are representing Ireland. Many of them meet more people than our diplomatic corps so they are important ambassadors for our country. I am glad the matter was raised because we should be very aware of it.