Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

This was an important visit by the Taoiseach, which I supported. In fairness to him, the reports were to the effect that he was not unduly phased when he started to read President Obama's speech and that he got over that little glitch without any problem. Fair play to him.

I welcome the appointment of Dan Rooney as ambassador to Ireland. I met Mr. Rooney on a number of occasions when I was Minister for trade and I am sure he will do a first-class job in terms of relations between the United States and Ireland. Does the Taoiseach believe the American Government will proceed with its comprehensive immigration legislation? There is division over what should be done. Should we proceed on a bilateral basis or push for a comprehensive immigration legislation package? It is a complex area. The Minister for Foreign Affairs spoke to the Secretary of State for 45 minutes and there has been some movement since the beginning of the Obama presidency.

The list produced following the Taoiseach's announcement of a review of US-Ireland relations is quite comprehensive. It indicates the intention to appoint new consuls to Atlanta and Houston. Will these appointments require acquisition of property?

The Taoiseach mentioned the strong partnership with the Irish-American community and the US authorities in caring for the forgotten Irish. I have visited these locations. Elderly Irish people who went over to work as navvies or in domestic service find themselves isolated, often in tied-rent in buildings surrounded by many different nationalities, making it difficult for the Irish community to care for them. What strengthening of that partnership does the Taoiseach see to give effective contact with those people? It is not all about money; from meeting some of these people, it is clear there is a real need for continued human contact with the Irish.

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