Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Guirke for raising this issue, which I am addressing on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney.

Ireland's relationship with the United States of America has been of critical importance for successive Governments and continues to be a major priority for the current Government as set out in our programme for Government. The key priorities and objectives for this unique relationship are set out in the Government's United States and Canada Strategy 2019-2025. The actions are categorised around the five pillars that underpin Ireland's overall foreign policy, namely our people, our values, our place in Europe, our prosperity and our influence.

The strengthening of our bilateral political relations with the USA is of critical importance to this State. We have a broad range of priorities in our relations with the USA, including high level political engagement, in particular in support of the peace process in Northern Ireland; the promotion of trade, investment and job creation; and support for our citizens and the broader Irish-American diaspora.

There is ongoing advocacy and engagement at every level with the US Administration and political leaders across the USA. Our Embassy in Washington DC takes a leading role in advocating for the most important and critical issues facing our country and our citizens, including the undocumented Irish who are seeking to regularise their status.

The scope for high-level meetings at senior political level has been limited due to the impact of Covid. The return this year of high-level visits will strengthen our ability to maintain and further develop the strong political relationships, particularly as we mitigate the impact of Brexit on this island. It will also allow us to continue our work to build new networks across the US, including engaging with a new generation of political leaders in the US at the federal and state level.

Ireland works closely with the United States to support and defend the mutual benefits of a stable, open and ambitious economic relationship. This relationship underpins an environment that supports the provision of more than 110,000 direct jobs by Irish companies across all 50 US states, mirrored by more than 800 US companies operating in Ireland, employing 180,000 in this State. That is up from 100,000 a decade ago. Working closely with our State agencies, in particular Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, we have supported the developed of this highly mutually beneficial economic environment.

The strength of the bilateral relationship is largely rooted in the many links between Irish and American people. Irish America is of enormous importance to Ireland, including those who are Irish-born, those who claim Irish ancestry and those with a strong affinity for Ireland. Our Government launched a new diaspora strategy in 2020, which includes a focus on engaging with the new generation of Irish diaspora in the US and strengthening our co-operation and support of Irish citizens and Irish-Americans in the US. Through our embassy in Washington DC, as well as across our seven consulates general across the US, we work closely with Irish community organisations in support of the needs of Irish citizens. In response to the pandemic, a dedicated Covid-19 response fund for Irish communities abroad was set up to help these organisations meet the needs of those who are particularly vulnerable. In 2021, over €4.22 million was provided to diaspora organisations in the US.

The influence of Ireland in the US, through our history and culture, is remarkable. Under our current strategy, we have worked closely with Culture Ireland to streamline the long-standing and deep cultural links between our two countries, as evidenced by the appointment of dedicated cultural officers based in our consulates in New York and Los Angeles. Under the US-Canada strategy, we have reinforced our network of diplomatic missions across the US, including opening a new consulate general in Los Angeles in 2018 and the opening in summer 2022 of a new consulate general in Miami.

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