Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

Immigrants, whether they come here for economic or other reasons, do not fit neatly into a box. They are real people with needs and wants which cross many Departments. The Minister alluded to this earlier but is he willing to take the matter further? The report strongly recommends that one Department should co-ordinate immigration matters. My party believes a Minister of State based within the Department of the Taoiseach should be given responsibility for immigration and ethnic affairs. Given that the report makes reference to the Departments of Health and Children, Education and Science, Arts, Sport and Tourism and Enterprise, Trade and Employment, would the Minister agree to the appointment of a Minister of State within the Department of the Taoiseach to facilitate co-ordination between these Departments in meeting the needs of this vulnerable group?

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