Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This morning, we heard the verdict of the people of the USA in national electoral contests. The Republicans now control the Senate and the House of Representatives, but the most important of these contests was the presidential election. Mr. Donald Trump has now been elected to be the 45th President of the United States of America. The people of the USA have spoken and the onus is clearly on the President-elect to represent all of its people and play a positive and progressive role in world affairs. That obligation must include maintaining the positive engagement that successive US Presidents have had with Ireland. It also means resolving the issue of the 50,000 undocumented Irish living in North America.

Ní féidir linn dearmad a dhéanamh ar ról na Stát Aontaithe sa phróiseas síochána. Tá súil agam go leanfaidh sé sin ar aghaidh. Uniquely, the Irish peace process has had the support of Republican and Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate. I am sure that this will continue, in particular under the leadership of Congressman Richie Neal and Congressman Peter King.

I commiserate with Ms Hillary Clinton. As First Lady, Senator for New York and Secretary of State, she was always engaged with Ireland. Like her husband, former President Bill Clinton, she has remained interested in developing and supporting the peace process. She has been a good friend to the people of this island and I extend my thanks and best wishes to her and her family.

I will also take this opportunity to thank President Barack Obama for his engagement with the peace process. His special envoy, Mr. Gary Hart, has made an important contribution to resolving difficulties and has been an advocate of continued dialogue. The Obama administration facilitated the involvement of Dr. Richard Haass and Professor Meghan O'Sullivan, who chaired an all-party group on issues relating to parades, flags, emblems and the past. I state all of this just to give the House a short insight into what the Taoiseach knows has been the contribution thus far.

The key challenge for the Taoiseach will be to ensure that support for the peace process continues under the new administration over the coming four years and that the new President continues to play a positive role. This is even more important, given the challenges of Brexit. When does the Taoiseach intend to speak to President-elect Trump and how does the Government intend to meet these challenges?

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