Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Tánaiste will agree with me that it would be hypocrisy for the Government to engage in special pleading for Irish people in America - pleading in Congress and to the United States President - while doing little to address exactly the same concerns of migrants to this State whose status is irregular. The notion that we cannot deal with that ourselves is not right. Other nations in the European Union have done so. To be clear, I am asking the Government to establish an administrative scheme, which can be carefully defined and monitored, to allow adult migrant workers to attain the right paperwork to remain here. I am also asking the Government to introduce a fair and transparent mechanism and to set out rules so that children born or brought up in circumstances where they have irregular migration status can have their situation regularised here too. Will the Tánaiste today, before the meeting tomorrow between our representatives and the American Administration, say that he will do that?

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