I pay great credit to the Government's special envoy to the United States Congress, Deputy John Deasy, with whom I have been working very closely for the past two years to secure E3 visas for Ireland. The negotiations with both Houses of Congress have sometimes been fraught, but with the assistance of the embassy in Washington, Deputy Deasy and I have been successful in introducing a Bill in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, to be voted on shortly. It is held up at the moment because the impeachment trial has started in the Senate today. Its passage would mean between 4,000 and 5,000 visas for Ireland annually. We have not had a visa increase in the past 35 years. It would be a major achievement.I am very confident that we have bipartisan support for the Bill. It would be a great boost for us.
I will end by extending my very best wishes to my fellow Seanadóirí - those who will be seeking re-election, those who are seeking election to the Thirty-third Dáil and those who are retiring. I hope they and their families will have every happiness in their lives.
I hope I will be remembered for more than just being the Senator who lifted the ban on pubs opening on Good Friday. I especially thank all the staff of the Dáil and the Seanad who assisted me in making that happen. I wish everyone the very best of luck. It has been a privilege to have met and worked with everybody.
]]>One disappointment of this Seanad has been the failure to implement the excellent report of the Seanad reform implementation group, which includes my colleague Senator McDowell. Ireland needs to modernise and reform its electoral system and perhaps create a global panel in this House. I give sincere thanks to Mr. Martin Groves and all the staff of the Seanad Office for all their assistance in keeping it running like a well-oiled machine.
It was a privilege to serve on the all-party Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence, which was ably chaired by Deputy Brendan Smith and assisted by Mr. Noel Murphy. As Senator for the diaspora one of my ambitions was to hold a national referendum on giving Irish citizens worldwide and in Northern Ireland the right to vote in presidential elections. Unfortunately, due to issues such as Brexit, by-elections and the current general election, the referendum did not happen. I hope it is included in all the parties' manifestos and is discussed as part of a Government programme in the future.
]]>Our own history is indelibly linked to the refugees of today. Irish people sought sanctuary in the US, were shipped to Australia, and went to England for work with the hope of building a new life for themselves and a brighter future for their families. Former President Mary McAleese recently stated that considering their own history, Irish people have no right to be racist. Ireland has become a multicultural country. It is estimated that nearly 20% of our population comes from other countries. These people are now living, working and contributing to the State.
There has been some disquiet recently from some sections that have used unsavoury tactics to put blame on the so-called stranger for some of the economic and social injustices in the State at present. Thankfully, the true instincts of Irish people are borne out and we see across the country, from Killarney to Carrick-on-Suir to the middle of Eyre Square and Salthillin my own city of Galway, the welcome given by local residents who offer the gift of education in their local schools and help with integration of refugees into the communities in which they reside. I can say from visiting these centres that there is an unbelievable sense of camaraderie and inclusion there. There has been nothing like the type of rhetoric I have heard over recent months in other areas. I very much welcome it and am very proud that in Galway city at least, people are welcoming these refugees. People do not leave their countries with nothing to come to other countries. They want to stay in their own countries and we must offer them refuge. I heard only this week from my Seanad colleague, Senator Lombard, about wonderful things happening in the community of Kinsale where the people there have come together to welcome a family from Syria and help them become part of the community.
Approximately 6,000 asylum seekers are placed in nearly 40 direct provision centres throughout Ireland while there are probably another 1,400 living in other emergency accommodation. It is incumbent on the Government and it is our responsibility as Irish people to do everything within our power to improve the lives of asylum seekers and refugees. My God, we are the last country in the world to talk about racism and to be racist.
I thank the Minister for his statement today, which was a really strong one. I certainly concur with what he said, particularly his call for all Senators and Deputies to visit the direct provision centres in his area and see the people who are there. They are so grateful to be here, number one, and we have a responsibility to look after them.
]]>What an amazing sight it would be for all the Ministers travelling across the world to interact with our diaspora having seen a referendum passed to give them a formal say in who should be the Head of State. I know in my adopted country of the United States the enormous depth of meaning the holding of this referendum would have for our community. St. Patrick's Day is a unique period in our calendar where every Irish person resident in this State recognises and sees just how global and broad-shouldered is our community. Beamed across the globe from Dubai to Durban and Singapore to Seattle, the whole world stops and pays attention to the community of this small island.
We know the economic and diplomatic value of our Taoiseach and Ministers travelling across the world and although there is always criticism of the cost of these missions, we never talk about the value to the State and taxpayer of what it means to our Irish community to be visited by their home Government. That value would be enhanced dramatically if we could deliver a referendum to give that community a say in who our next President should be. I am calling on the Government and all other political parties to support my call for this referendum to take place before St. Patrick's Day in 2020.
]]>I wish to touch on the human story that is at the heart of this debate and the national discussion taking place. I wish to speak first to the humanity of those working in organisations that provide practical and emotional support to those seeking asylum in this State, from the Irish Refugee Council to the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland. I pay tribute to our primary and secondary schools across the country that are providing the gift of education and helping with the integration of refugees in the communities in which they reside. Most of all, I pay tribute to the communities right across Ireland that host direct provision centres, from Killarney to Carrick-on-Suir, with little fuss and none of the fear that has been fostered in recent months. These are the people and the Ireland I recognise. It is not up to communities to identify who should or should not apply for asylum here or which application is more worthy than which. That is the responsibility of the State.
As Irish people, however, we are uniquely and indelibly linked to our own story of emigration, forced off these shores as we were through starvation and deprivation and granted asylum when no system existed to help build the most powerful nation on earth, the United States of America. The ability of our State to meet the economic and social challenges of those seeking refuge is also unique among that of practically every other country in the European Union. There are no rubber dinghies coming across the Irish Sea packed with people who carry with them the dreams and aspirations of a better life. I accept that in the modern world every state must be able to control and manage its borders and that the management of those borders can at times be done with limited compassion. Some people in this country want to undermine our democracy and are using the unsavoury tactic of blaming the other, or the stranger, for our economic and social injustices. We Irish have seen this before, in signs stating "no blacks, no dogs, no Irish". Our dialogue and discussions should be about how communities work to help those seeking asylum and whether we can talk about how Ireland fulfils its obligations to those seeking refuge. Yes, let us have the honest discussion my colleague spoke about yesterday, but I plead for the discussion not to be about who should or should not apply in the first place or which person's application is more genuine than which. Instead, the discussion should be about how we grant asylum as quickly as possible to those who are entitled to the refuge of this country. How do we ensure that Ireland deals humanely with those who apply for asylum and those in our direct provision centres? These are the questions that, if answered, will speak to the true instincts of us Irish people and our tied history to immigrant communities across the world.
]]>The Government is to be thanked for implementing some measures from the Indecon report, with the reduction in required driving lessons from 12 to six prior to applying for a driving test, but many other issues need to be addressed, such as housing, education, access to healthcare, opening bank accounts, etc. Ireland has a long history of support for the most vulnerable of its diaspora, especially through the immigrant support programme. As Senator with responsibility for the diaspora, I will continue to lobby at Government level to ensure that we welcome all our returning migrants, both those who return with new skills and experience and those who return in vulnerable circumstances and need additional support.I invite all colleagues to attend the launch of this report next Monday afternoon at the EPIC museum.
]]>Within the borders of this State, we have rightly spent considerable time focusing on the impact a no-deal Brexit would have on our agrifood sector and the security risks on our island, but not enough on the citizens of Northern Ireland. Thanks to the Good Friday Agreement, every citizen of Northern Ireland can be a citizen of this State and therefore a citizen of the European Union irrespective of what happens in the coming weeks.
However, there is an inevitable social consequence to Northern Ireland being torn away from the European Union against its people's will. While even in the best-case scenario of an orderly Brexit deal, that consequence may only be sensory in that a drive from Dublin to Belfast will become a journey to exit the European Union and yet its citizens remain protected.
Of course, in the current Boris-deal scenario we would have customs checks to navigate on either side of the Border, something that thankfully the Irish Government has roundly rejected. I anticipate the European Union also doing so. No matter what happens, there is a strong likelihood that our two communities, North and South, may drift even further apart. Against this backdrop, an open hand to our friends in the North and overseas, through giving them a say into who is Head of this State and represents this nation, could serve to restore some of those social ties that will be lost through Northern Ireland's departure from the European Union. I hope and, dare I say, I pray our leaders and the leaders of the European Union continue to act as a bulwark against the jingoistic nationalism and contempt for the rule of law we see from the British Government. While I have faith our people will be defended by their leaders in this State and the European Union, it will be up to us to defend our nation and our Northern citizens to ensure they remain part of our Irish community in word and deed. This requires our Northern friends to have a real say on how we move forward as the broad shouldered global community that modern Ireland represents. I hope these ideals will not be forgotten when we finally have the referendum to allow all Irish people the opportunity to vote in presidential elections.
]]>Brexit uncertainty and the looming Brexit deadline of 31 October make the prospect of a campaign in advance of a previously earmarked November date a distraction. Brexit has the potential to become wrongly interwoven in a referendum campaign that should be about empowering our diaspora community, expanding our global reach and broadening our nation's identity. For this reason, I would support a short delay in the holding of this referendum and the Government would be wise to provide for such a delay. We have the legislation in place and we are ready and ambitious for our country. I firmly believe the Irish people want to harness and support their emigrant friends and families so that they too can have a say as to who sits at the head of our State.
]]>Before the referendum, I urge Irish people to ask themselves what type of person is likely to turn up at the Irish Embassy in Washington or London to have their say in who should be the next President of Ireland? Is it someone who does not care about our nation or about what it means to be Irish in the 21st century? Or is it someone who actively wants to remain part of the Irish community even when not living on this island? The evidence from overseas is that those who take the bother of going to their embassy or exercising a postal vote are people who are actively interested in what is happening in their home country. It was recently reported in Australia that of those living abroad who were eligible to vote in recent elections in that country, just 16% chose to do so. If passed, this referendum will allow all eligible citizens to vote in Irish presidential elections. That opportunity will be taken up by those who engage in the campaign and with the presidential candidates vying for their vote and setting out a global image of Ireland.
We are among just three EU countries having a directly elected president which do not allow emigrants a say in elections for that office. I am extremely proud, as an Irishman and a European, that since joining the Union, Ireland has always championed its relationship with its diaspora as more than just one of economic transactions but, rather, as one comprising a community of ideas and nations. We should bring ourselves in line with our fellow European citizens who freely move and work across the Continent and allow their emigrants a vote in elections. Twenty-four European Union countries already do this. What is there to fear in our doing the same? Imagine the message we will send to the world if we say "Yes" in October just as our neighbour is shutting down its borders and making an historic mistake of catastrophic proportions? In Britain's scheduled exit from the Union, we will have an opportunity once again to show how broad are our shoulders and how open are our minds to what it truly means to be an Irish man or woman in 2019.
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