Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand the Taoiseach cannot deal with all the issues at these meetings, but the absence of a US ambassador here since December is important. I commend the former US ambassador, Dan Rooney and his wife Patricia, who have deep and commendable connections with this island. For the three years he was here, he represented his country ably and engaged in a very modest but cheerful way with people here. Will the Taoiseach raise this issue when he visits the US next month?

I would also like the Taoiseach to raise the issue of the so-called undocumented Irish. The figures are staggering and beyond my comprehension. Four hundred thousand people, mostly young, have left this State in the past five years. Between April 2010 and March 2013, 20,000 people left for the US, most of them in their 20s. That is a huge vote of no confidence. That is double the figure of the previous three years. We should think of the damage to society, to communities and to families. Many travelled on a student visa or by other means. It is estimated by the Irish emigration lobby that around 50,000 of these Irish citizens are living illegally. I am sure the Taoiseach will meet them when he goes there. They are working on building sites, in pubs and restaurants and wherever they can find employment. They did not go for the craic, as a lifestyle choice or for the experience. They went because they had no long-term employment prospects here. They had little prospect of meaningful work because of the disastrous policies of the previous Government and the austerity policies of this Government. Perhaps it is okay for single people, but many of them now have families and are living in a twilight world. They pay taxes and contribute positively to US society, but when it comes to a bereavement or a more joyous family occasion like a christening or a wedding, they are not able to travel back here because they are afraid they will not be able to return to the US. They live waiting for a rap on the door or for a visit at work from immigration officers.

Leas-Uachtarán Biden has spoken out on this issue. Unfortunately, the Taoiseach did not raise it with him, but that is fair enough. There is a reform Bill going through Congress that has passed the Senate and is now stuck in the House of Representatives.

Will the Taoiseach raise this issue when he travels to the United States? I understand that many of the difficulties arise from resistance among elements of the Republican Party. Will the Taoiseach make arrangements to meet congressional republican leaders and raise this matter during his visit?

The Constitutional Convention proposed that Irish citizens living abroad have the right to vote in presidential elections. While I presume the Taoiseach did not raise this matter with Vice President Biden, will he raise it with political leaders in the United States when he visits in March? When does the Taoiseach intend to act on this proposal? I may have asked him that question previously.

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