Dáil debates

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed)

Diplomatic Representation

4:20 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Adams for his comments. The US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, is due to attend an OSCE conference in Dublin this week, which will bring to Ireland the largest number of foreign ministers ever to visit the country. High Representative, Baroness Catherine Ashton, will attend on behalf of the European Union. The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, will also attend, as will the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague. I expect to have a short meeting with Secretary of State Clinton at which I will raise the immigration issue, as I have already indicated.

Publication of the 1926 census is a matter of cost and the 100 year rule. I would like it to be published as it is of great interest to millions of people the world over. However, there is a hefty cost attached to doing so and consideration must be given to the rule precluding publication for 100 years. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, is dealing with the issue.

I spoke to President Obama and sympathised with him in the same way as Deputy Adams has about people from Ireland and other countries who lost their lives. I made the point to him that Breezy Point, Staten Island and New Jersey have significant Irish communities. I said to the President that we had significant numbers of very skilled people here in the country, many of whom were unemployed following the collapse of the construction sector. Be it small numbers of Army personnel dealing with logistics or people who are skilled at driving machinery, demolition experts, roofers or whatever, I said to him that perhaps we should look at the question of what kind of assistance Ireland could give in that context. The President was, I think, very taken with the suggestion. What we agreed was that both the ambassador in Washington, Ambassador Collins, and his counterpart in the Administration would look at how best Ireland might actually be able to contribute in that fashion to restoring and rebuilding the areas that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

I have seen some of the documentaries. Significant areas are entirely Irish, or are certainly Irish connected. In that sense when one looks at a home that was completely flattened as if the place had been by a series of bombs, clearly people are very upset and want to get back to being able to live their lives where they have been for so many years. That issue is being followed through on behalf of this country by our ambassador with the US Administration and we will be happy to assist Deputy Adams in any way that we can in that regard. I think that, with the numbers of skilled people that we have here, we could make a significant contribution.

To be honest with Deputy Adams, the reason that I did not have an opportunity to discuss with the Administration the question of the E-3 visas and immigration was that I left here on Thursday night to fly out, was busy all of the following day and came back on Saturday night after the last function. I got here on Sunday morning. On this occasion, there just was not the time to fit it in. Next time, hopefully, and with a new Administration in office in the US, we will be able to devote more time and follow through on the new connections that need to be made very diligently.

I might point out that, from Deputy Adams's party, Deputy Martin's party, our own, the Labour Party and everybody else's party, there have been delegations to Washington over the last 15 to 18 months. We will keep that up because it requires constant contact. As Deputy Adams is well aware, now is the time to do this - at the start of President Obama's second term in office. Hopefully, we can bring about a resolution to it.

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