Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

No, that is a different story. I wonder why that is. Perhaps we are getting some of the facts about it now.

What Ted Kennedy and others did for us in the Senate and White House is unreal. Possibly the greatest single thing the United States did for us was the visit by President and Mrs. Clinton to this country. We were on the Government side of the House at that time. As a Border Deputy I was given the opportunity by the then Taoiseach, John Bruton, as were all other Border Deputies, to be personally involved in welcoming the US President and his wife, Hillary, to this House. Their commitment to the peace process was beyond question. What they did and how they brought people together was extremely important.

It was through such visits that George Mitchell became involved in the peace process. He brought people together who had literally fought for years. He showed them hope when they could not see any hope. He persuaded people to get involved with each other. That was the start of the peace process. The Troubles, which were still a feature of Northern Ireland in the early 1990s, resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. Compared to Haiti that might not appear to be a lot of people but it left a major mark on a small island. George Mitchell can never be forgotten for the work he did at that time. It is great that he was recognised and that he continues that type of work elsewhere.

I welcome the fact that Senator Hillary Clinton is the US Secretary of State and will be involved in Northern Ireland. When the Hillsborough talks finished recently it was great to hear her commitment to bring more industrialists to this country. That has been extremely important to Ireland. It is clear from some of the notes I received from Ms Trina Vargo and others that they consider Ireland is a different place today. Although we are in some financial difficulty, it is a much better country. However, there are still problems of unemployment in Border areas and in Northern Ireland, which is extremely dependent on the public service. Anything US companies can do to help will be extremely welcome.

I pay tribute to Abbott Ireland which, approximately 30 years ago, came to Cootehill on the border between Cavan and Monaghan to set up a babyfood plant. It has expanded and provided tremendous work and wealth in that area. It also has plants in Sligo and elsewhere. That company came here for the long haul. It did not come here just to get tax breaks, as some have said. That was said one night in Washington in the presence of George Mitchell and President Clinton, but it was not the case. Abbott came for the long haul and did the work.

My colleague, Deputy Brian Hayes, has already spoken in detail on the Bill and I will not go into the legalities of it. It is extremely important that we fund the process being set up by the Bill and ensure the money is properly spent because that has not always been the case in the past in some areas; we must utilise the scheme to the best advantage. The Bill will allow young people from the United States to come to this country to study for a number of years. It is important that those who are involved in organising the scholarships know they have a guaranteed future. I am sure Ms Vargo is happy with that. She and others have put considerable work into the scheme.

The Minister of State made it clear that this country's contribution to the fund will be increased by €20 million. That sum will be paid over a number of years and is conditional on matching funding being raised by the US-Ireland Alliance. Such matching funding must not include funding from public funds in Ireland or Northern Ireland. It is envisaged that the increased future investment income from additional funding of up to €40 million, inclusive of matching funding, will primarily meet the cost of bursaries. It is extremely important that this commitment is included.

Ms Vargo outlined to us how well the scheme is working. Many Mitchell scholars have come to the Dáil, some of them might even have worked here as interns. She said that Ireland has been welcoming to the Mitchells, as is only right. That has been a huge part of the success of the programme. We all want the scholars to go home saying, "That was the best year of my life." That is good for Ireland. I am pleased to hear that former scholars have been reunited at a later stage and are facilitated to keep in touch. This group of students who have received friendship and education in colleges in this country, North and South, can and will be future ambassadors for this country.

I welcome the Government's commitment. However, I am a little surprised that some of those who are involved with me in the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, and others from the Government side, have not seen fit to comment on the Bill. It is important that not only is this an all-party issue, but it is seen to be so-----

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