Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

We discussed the undocumented Irish with ambassador Rooney. I visited the United States subsequently where I had extensive consultations with senators and congressmen on the Hill on this issue. I also met with ILIR, the immigration reform movement, in New York and we had substantive and good discussions on that issue, the critical point being timing, building a consensus across party lines and how the political situation would unfold. The consensus was that it would be early spring before there would be a significant move politically on that issue. We got a positive response to our position, not just in terms of the wider issue of the undocumented but also the bilateral mechanism to be developed for the future - an E3 visa type approach - that could be combined to any solution to the overall undocumented question. It is fair to say we have pressed all the right buttons politically on the Hill.

On the Farmleigh conference, we are pursuing proactively the range of recommendations that emanated from that gathering. An interdepartmental committee has been established with the Secretary to the Government, Dermot McCarthy, chairing that to systematically go through every recommendation across the system to bring them to fruition. In terms of the Silicon Valley innovation centre, which is a proposal developed by the Irish technology leadership group, we will be pursuing that under the aegis of my Department. We have been in consultations with Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and are awaiting a further firm proposal on that.

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