Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My question asks the Taoiseach what are his plans to amend the Government's strategy on the undocumented Irish in the United States following the election of Donald Trump and remarks made by Mr. Trump yesterday about looking at every single visa in terms of the degree to which it may undermine American workers' rights. The position is becoming serious for the undocumented Irish in the US in terms of how they are feeling about all of this. President Obama relaxed the position for the undocumented and gave some certainty to those who had been living with undocumented status in the United States for more than 20 years and, in particular, their families. President Obama recognised, for example, that the sons and daughters of the undocumented in the US had particular rights. It seems President-elect Trump is anxious to roll back these rights.

We need to take a fresh look at how we will approach this issue in the light of President-elect Trump's agenda. People may lampoon the bowl of shamrock, but it is not about that; the bowl of shamrock is symbolic. The substance of the week in which St. Patrick's Day falls in the United States is important for Ireland. It is important for the maintenance of Irish jobs and in the promotion of tourism, Irish food products and agriculture. Representatives of very few countries get the opportunity to meet the democratically elected President of the United States, irrespective of one's views and so on, that we get through the deep historical connection between Irish emigrants, the diaspora, the people and the Government because of St. Patrick's Day. It is a gilt-edged opportunity. However, we do so on the basis articulated by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in the aftermath of President-elect Trump's election. She made the point eloquently when she said German-US relations would continue on the basis of the same values and ideals which had always informed the relationship. In other words, Chancellor Merkel was not resiling from any of her deeply held values and principles on how society should be organised. I am in a similar vein. I hold steadfast to the principles enunciated before and after the presidential election which I will continue to pursue I recognise democracy and the decisions taken by an electorate, even if I have my own views and opinions on it.

The undocumented Irish are of immediate concern to us. When he spoke to the President-elect, did the Taoiseach refer to the presence in Ireland of multinationals, which has been a cornerstone of Irish industrial policy for the past 40 odd years and yielded thousands of jobs? The President-elect and the American Government are entitled to do what they want with tax rates. However, we do not want to see a hostile attitude towards American companies based in Ireland, given their investment and the jobs they have created here. We need to highlight that issue.

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