Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together.

These questions all pertain to meetings that I have had since June with US political leaders. I have also been asked a number of questions about my recent attendance at the UN Secretary General's climate change summit in New York, which I will answer separately as soon as these questions are reached.

I have been asked about my meeting last June with the Governor of California, Jerry Brown. As I have already detailed in written answers provided on 17 June last, I travelled to San Francisco and the Silicon Valley area of San Francisco on Wednesday, 4 June for a three-day programme of work to enhance existing trade and investment relationships, and to develop new opportunities for job creation and inward investment from the US west coast into Ireland.

In the course of that visit, I met with Governor Brown. Our discussion focused on strengthening the links between Ireland and California, particularly our bilateral economic, trade, investment and tourism relationship. The Governor and I also discussed the issue of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States and the prospect of immigration reform. Governor Brown is a strong supporter of immigration reform, and during his tenure in office has introduced a number of progressive legislative Bills aimed at improving conditions for the undocumented in California. Following our meeting, Governor Brown and I both addressed an audience of Irish and US companies, including a significant number of US investors looking to this country for business opportunities.

More recently, I met briefly with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh at Croke Park during the replayed All-Ireland Hurling Final on 27 September. Mayor Walsh was in Ireland for the first time since his election earlier this year, primarily to visit his ancestral home in Connemara. We discussed his visit to Ireland and economic developments in Boston and Ireland. Mayor Walsh is the first Irish American Mayor of Boston in over 20 years and has been very proactive in seeking to further develop the political, economic and tourism links between Boston and Ireland.

I also met recently, on 29 September, with the Mayor of Seattle, Mr. Ed Murray, who called to Government Buildings while he was visiting Dublin. Mayor Murray, whose four grandparents come from Ireland, is a frequent visitor here, and we took the opportunity to discuss the strong links between Seattle and Ireland. Mayor Murray commented upon issues in Northern Ireland because he was an active personality in Northern Ireland quite a number of years ago.

As I stated, I intend to make a separate reply to questions about my attendance at the UN Secretary General's climate change summit in September. Apart from attending and addressing that summit, I used the opportunity during my visit to New York and Rhode Island to promote stronger political, economic and trade links between the US and Ireland. In New York, I met briefly with President Obama and his wife during a reception that he and Mrs. Obama hosted for the heads of delegation attending the United Nations events. I did not have bilateral meetings with any other UN leaders during this visit.

In Rhode Island, I met with senior political representatives at state and federal level, including Governor Lincoln Chaffee and Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. This was an important opportunity to engage with political, business and community leaders in Rhode Island to encourage ever-closer trade, investment and tourism links with this country. I also had the opportunity to meet with members of the Irish-American community from Rhode Island, when I attended an event at the Irish Famine Memorial in Providence, Rhode Island, a very worthy monument. I did not have any discussions, either in New York or in Rhode Island, concerning Ireland's corporation tax rate.

I raised the issue of immigration reform and the plight of undocumented Irish in the US at a number of events in New York. This included an event at the Irish Consulate where I met a group of young Irish representatives from a range of business and cultural networks, and indeed from all over the island of Ireland. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has recently been in the United States to continue our engagement with US politicians on the issue. It is our intention to keep the US Administration, and politicians on both sides of Congress, fully aware of Ireland's expectations as efforts to reform the US immigration system continue.

As I stated, I will make a comprehensive reply in the coming weeks in response to a separate group of questions regarding my attendance at the UN Secretary General's summit on climate change.

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