Dáil debates

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed)

Official Engagements

5:00 pm

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

I take the Deputy's point that his party is opposed to corporation tax avoidance. Believe me, where the Government wants to be on this is absolutely upfront with a regime that is understood to be completely transparent and accountable. That is why we have dealt with the stateless concept with the ending of the amendment in regard to the double Irish out as far as 2020, and consultation will take place on the information box and so on

I forgot to mention the question of the undocumented in respect of Deputy Martin's question, and I will deal with his question and the question raised by Deputy Adams now.

This matter has become very challenging. More than likely, nothing will happen before the elections in America in the next couple of weeks. We had all believed there was an impetus on both Republican and Democrat sides to do something about this before the mid-term elections but it will not happen now.

In the very brief engagement I had with President Obama, I wanted to say it was imperative that people have an opportunity to travel home. The Deputy pointed that out. There will either be renewed impetus from Congress or there will not. The US President has said he intends to take executive action himself. If he decides to do so, as is his right as President, it may not be as comprehensive as people would wish. From an Irish perspective, however, it is fundamental that people who have decided to live in the United States have an opportunity to travel to Ireland and back again.

I opened a family hospice room in a local hospital in the west yesterday. One facility it has had to install was a big screen for people Skyping people in America who cannot come home when someone is dying or has passed away. This was an unfortunate thing to have to do. A choice must be made between coming home for a funeral, with the result that one cannot go back, and talking on the screen to family and loved ones. These are the choices that are being made every day. Some 30,000 people die in Ireland every year and, obviously, a number of their families are undocumented in the United States. This is a very sensitive and personal issue for Irish people. If the US President decides to take executive action, central to this from an Irish perspective should be the opportunity to travel home.

The President and I did not get to talk about bilateral arrangements, such as the ones Deputy Martin mentioned before in respect of Australia-----

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