Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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9. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Certificates of Irish Heritage that have been issued by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23196/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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To date, 1,929 certificates of Irish heritage have been issued, approximately 60% in the US, 13% in Australia and 11% in Canada. with the vast majority of the global diaspora no longer eligible for Irish citizenship, the certificate of Irish heritage was introduced to recognise descendents of previous generations of Irish citizens in an official way and to give greater practical expression to the sense of Irish identity felt by many around the world.

Official recognition of our diaspora is an issue that is regularly raised by our overseas communities. The concept of a certificate of Irish heritage received new impetus following the 2009 publication of the strategic review of relations between Ireland and the United States. The review recommended exploring ways of encouraging and facilitating people to give expression to their Irish ancestry in order to maintain strong ties with such groups, both now and in the future. This proposal was also supported by participants at the 2009 Global Irish Economic Forum in Farmleigh.

Following a public tender in April 2010, Fexco was awarded the contract to operate the certificate of Irish heritage on behalf of the Department. Under the terms of the contract, Fexco developed the web systems and necessary software. Fexco also processes applications, issues certificates and is the initial point of contact for all customer inquiries.

Full details on the eligibility criteria are available on but, in general, applications are open to persons who were not born on the island of Ireland and who can provide details connecting them to an individual Irish ancestor. The website also provides a selection of stories from certificate recipients highlighting how important their Irish heritage is to them.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. It is a welcome development. As the Tánaiste stated in his reply, it was an issue that arose following the study in 2009 of the Irish-United States relationship and also an issue that was discussed at the first Global Irish Economic Forum in Farmleigh. Deputy Martin, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, spoke in 2010 about the idea of harnessing the Irish diaspora of 70 million people but there must be a connection back to our own island where it is not possible to give citizenship.

Am I correct in thinking that there were incentives planned originally to go with this certification, and is the Tánaiste happy that the self-declaration is adequate and does not diminish the status of an important document and of an important link between so many of Irish extraction living in Canada, Australia or the United States? Is he happy with the figure to date or did he expect a better take-up of this initiative?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I acknowledge the work that my predecessor, Deputy Martin, did on this issue and in bringing it forward.

When it was originally conceived, there were issues such as the idea of a tourist discount card which would be associated with it. The priority up to now has been to get the certificate of Irish heritage launched and up and running, and my Department is in discussion with other agencies on ways in which to develop that. However, it is important to note that holders of the certificate must consent to receiving communications from promotional companies etc.

It is relatively new. I believe it will grow as more people get to know about it. What happened here was a wish to provide a formal recognition of Irish ancestry and heritage for those who do not qualify for an Irish passport and citizenship. It is difficult to evaluate the demand in numerical terms. We are aware, for example, in the context of The Gathering, that there has been increased interest in it. Certainly, in cases where we have presented certificates of Irish heritage to well-known figures, such as former President Clinton and, recently, the actor Tom Cruise, it has attracted a great deal of attention and it is a way of promoting it.

Diaspora organisations have indicated there is a wish among many to have some formal recognition of Irish ancestry and I think that will grow in the course of time. It is important to have the facility available for people who wish to formally recognise their ancestry.