Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The recent census in the US revealed that 36 million people claimed to be Irish-American. I was surprised by what the Minister of State said tonight to the effect that there would be people in the US who would not want our Irish illegals to get driving licences. There is goodwill out there. When Deputies Coveney, Connaughton and McGinley visited the US, the one thing that came across loud and clear from US politicians was that they did not believe there was a problem with Irish illegals in the US. That is why we need the Taoiseach; the Tánaiste; Ian Paisley, MLA; Martin McGuinness, MLA; and the leaders of the Opposition in this House to go to the US and lobby for our Irish illegals.

I say to the families here tonight and the people watching us in the US that this will not be easy. However, it will not work if the Taoiseach does not go because this is a political issue and such issues must be resolved by politicians, such as the Taoiseach and the US President. In a few weeks time, Hillary Clinton will visit Dublin for a fund raiser. Every other candidate in the forthcoming US presidential election will tell us about his or her Irish ancestors. I say to the US candidates that we are worried about our Irish illegals and we want them to be sorted out once and for all in the US where the Irish built the roads and railways but where they cannot even drive on the roads because the Americans will not give them driving licences. I say to the US ambassador and the US Government that we want our people legalised. I do not want to see these people back in the Dáil or outside the gates. I want to see them outside here or coming back into the Dáil with their sons and daughters and their American grandchildren who they can bring in and out of this country freely because it is the US in which they wish to live and where they have their homes and families. However, they are Irish and we should never forget that. We want to get them looked after and I call on the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to immediately take that Government jet, go over to the US next weekend, go to Congress and lobby Irish-American politicians to try to get a deal for our Irish citizens who would love to be here. Many of them cannot be here because they left Ireland when there was no work. Many of them could be here but want to be in America with their family and loved ones. This must be resolved by politicians. I call on the Taoiseach to travel to America to try to resolve this matter.

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