Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The President said during his visit that his priority was overall comprehensive immigration policy reform, but that will be difficult, given the political set-up in the Capitol.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is developing the Ireland House concept that is already applied in many countries in order to drive trade promotion. This concept has worked successfully and will continue to do so.

I make no case that job creation will result from the initiative using modern communications that may be developed here. It is one element, part of an additional resource that will be piloted by IDA Ireland. It may bring about the creation of a substantial number of jobs, but I do not know. It must be tested. However, it is new and its value is that it will tie in the Diaspora. We can target individual areas by sending delegations or office appointment which have a constant impact, but this concept allows for people all over the world to involve themselves simultaneously in placing the focus on Ireland. This brings me back to the point I made about the last Government's Global Irish Economic Forum. The members of the Diaspora would all like to be ambassadors and they can now be because they will have an opportunity to make direct contact to feed into the job creation potential. It is an addition to the formal structures that have been proved to work by IDA Ireland during the years.

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