Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 21, inclusive, together.

I travelled to the United States this year for the St. Patrick's Day period. Each year the St. Patrick's Day celebrations provide the Government with a unique opportunity to engage with Heads of State and Government, senior politicians, business leaders, civic organisations and the media right across the globe. Our overriding objectives are to strengthen Ireland's international relations and enhance our profile and reputation as a location for trade, tourism and investment. It also gives us a unique opportunity to connect with and advocate on behalf of Irish people living abroad.

This year my visit to the United States ran from 13 to 18 March and included a comprehensive programme of engagements in Washington DC, Boston, and New York. My main focus was on advocating the case for immigration reform and promoting Ireland as a location for investment and jobs. I took every opportunity to highlight these issues at over 30 meetings and speaking engagements, including bilateral political meetings, business and economic focused events and civic engagements.

In Washington I met President Obama, Vice President Biden and Speaker Boehner. During my meeting with President Obama we discussed a number of issues of interest to the United States and Ireland. I outlined the progress made towards Ireland's economic recovery and we also discussed developments with the US economy and the prospects for negotiating a transatlantic trade and investment partnership between the European Union and the United States.

We discussed the Northern Ireland peace process, including the current state of play in resolving the issues of flags, parades and the past, after the good work of Richard Haass and Meghan O'Sullivan. We agreed that continued effective and strong leadership from within Northern Ireland was essential in building on progress made. I thanked the President for his Administration's continued attention to Northern Ireland, both in terms of engaging with the political leadership and in terms of addressing the social and economic development needs of the communities in the North.

I also raised the question of the appointment of an ambassador to Ireland. I note the President has proposed Mr. Kevin O'Malley to be considered for appointment as the ambassador, which I welcome.

I did not discuss specifically the Pat Finucane case with the President or his Administration which are very well aware of Ireland's position on it.

On international issues, we discussed the situation in Ukraine. For my part, I briefed the President on the emergency European Council meeting the previous week, at which the European Union was united in its strong condemnation of the actions taken by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. We also discussed the referendum in Crimea. We agreed that the Russian actions were unacceptable, that there was a need to take appropriate action to support Ukraine and that the focus had to be on a diplomatic solution.

In recent months, most notably during his 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama has clearly set out his intention and determination to achieve comprehensive immigration reform as quickly as possible. During my discussions with him and Vice President Biden they both acknowledged the particular significance of this issue for Ireland and the Irish living in the United States. In all of my political meetings, as well as during relevant public engagements, I highlighted the urgent need for immigration reform to resolve the issue for the estimated 50,000-plus undocumented Irish living in the United States and to provide adequately for legal migration flows in the future through reciprocal arrangements between Ireland and the United States.

In addition to substantive discussion of the immigration reform issue with President Obama and Vice President Biden, I also discussed the prospects for progress with a range of other members of Congress including Speaker John Boehner, Congressman Bob Goodlatte who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee which has responsibility for immigration legislation in the House, Congressman Paul Ryan, the Congressional Friends of Ireland and Senator Patrick Leahy who is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee which oversaw the passage of the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill last June.

While in Washington, I also called into a St. Patrick's Day gathering for members of the Republican Party, which provided me with a very valuable opportunity to talk to a number of key Republican Congressmen about the issue and encourage progress. I emphasised the need for progress on immigration reform in my speeches to influential audiences at the US Chamber of Commerce, the American-Ireland Fund gala, the White House St. Patrick's Day reception, the Ambassador's St. Patrick's Day reception and, most importantly, at the Speaker's Lunch on Capitol Hill where a large number of members of Congress were present in addition to the President, Vice President and Speaker Boehner and where I called in the strongest possible terms for Congress to show leadership and deal with the immigration issue now.

One of the principal reasons for going to the US for St. Patrick's Day is to share the celebration of our national day with the Irish-American community which has done so much to keep its Irish heritage and culture alive and strong. During my visit, I met with members of the community in Washington D.C., Boston and New York where I heard first-hand accounts of the difficulties faced by our undocumented citizens and, of course, saw some of the tremendous efforts that are being made to support our citizens living in the United States.

I did not have any detailed discussions on double taxation agreements with the President or at other meetings. I would mention, however, that in December 2012, Ireland became one of the first countries in the world to sign an agreement with the US to improve international tax compliance and implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, FATCA. During my meeting with Vice President Biden, we discussed a number of issues of mutual interest including Ireland's economic progress and the need for immigration reform. The Vice President confirmed his desire and intention to visit Ireland.

At the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, I highlighted Ireland's economic progress as well as the current state of play with regard to negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, and the benefits of an ambitious agreement for both the US and Europe. I also had a meeting with Mike Froman, US Trade Representative, where we discussed progress on the negotiations to date and our joint commitment to the conclusion of a comprehensive and ambitious partnership.

I also participated in a number of other events in Washington, including addressing a major business event organised by the embassy and the economic promotion agencies. I presented the inaugural Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick's Day Medal to Professor Garrett Fitzgerald. I attended the American Ireland Fund's 22nd national gala where Vice President Biden was recognised for his distinguished public service and presented with the American Ireland Fund Peace Award. Also, in Washington, I took the opportunity to meet with Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. We discussed the current situation in the North, including prospects for political talks on dealing with contentious issues, including the past. I emphasised the need for courage and leadership from the Northern Ireland Executive and the political parties. A few days later, I had an opportunity to meet with Dr. Richard Haass during my visit to New York, and heard at first hand his assessment of the talks process and prospects for further progress between the parties.

In Boston, I attended the South Boston St. Patrick's Day Breakfast, which was attended by federal, state and city council representatives including its host, state Senator Linda Dorcena-Forry; the governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick; and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Afterwards, I met with the new mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh. We spoke about the strong economic ties between Boston and Ireland, which the mayor's Irish links will only help to make stronger. I visited the Irish Cultural Centre based in Canton outside Boston. This centre is at the core of the Irish community in the Boston region and is doing tremendous work on its behalf. I also attended a reception at the consulate general in Boston attended by representatives from the business, economic and philanthropic Irish organisations in the region. Finally in Boston, I visited the USS Constitution Museum, a ship once captained by the grandfather of Charles Stewart Parnell and which is claimed to be the oldest functioning naval ship in the world.

In New York, I had a range of meetings focussed on political, economic and cultural issues. I attended the traditional St. Patrick's Day Mayor's Breakfast with the city's political leaders including Mayor de Blasio. Later that day, I had a bilateral meeting with Mayor de Blasio at City Hall where we discussed the mayor's election success and I updated him on economic progress in Ireland. I proposed that the mayor meet regularly with leading Irish figures in New York, including the consul general, in order to discuss matters of importance to the Irish community in the area. I attended the annual Ireland Chamber of Commerce reception before joining the St. Patrick's Day Parade where I marched with New York GAA members marking the centenary of the GAA in New York. I attended the traditional lunch event with the Knights of St. Patrick following which I visited the American Irish Historical Society. This society receives funding from the Emigrant Support Programme and has served as a centre for Irish scholarship and the study of Irish history in the United States for over a century. I did not have any meetings with representatives from the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Before returning home on 18 March, I attended a number of business events in New York, including addressing a gathering of business leaders at the Partnership for New York City, which is an influential group. Following this, I attended a meeting of business leaders to discuss ongoing negotiations on a transatlantic trade agreement and the potential benefits for Ireland.

As in previous years, it was evident to me that the strength of our relationship with the US is something that Ireland must continue to nurture. Everywhere I travelled, I found tremendous goodwill towards the country and an enthusiastic acknowledgement of the economic progress it is making. This sentiment was in evidence again last week during my visit to San Francisco and Silicon Valley. St. Patrick's Day offers us a unique opportunity to promote our country on the global stage. The dedicated efforts of our Government Ministers and the staff of our diplomatic missions and overseas agencies who represent this country so professionally are essential to Ireland's social and economic interests and have a tremendously positive impact on Ireland's profile and reputation and, ultimately, on our ability to compete for tourism, investment and job creation opportunities.

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