Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

The Minister has decided, therefore, at least as a first step, to establish a dedicated unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs, when staff resources become available after the EU Presidency. However, work is ongoing. Its role will be to co-ordinate the provision of services to the Irish abroad and to carry forward the implementation of the task force report. The reality is, therefore, that the Government has done a great deal for emigrants. The level of financial assistance for emigrant services abroad has been substantially increased and we can be proud of our record in providing assistance to emigrants. Of course, we cannot say we have done enough — Senator Mooney has rightly made this point. There are constraints on the level of the resources we can provide and there is no point in pretending otherwise.

Emigration should be viewed in its proper context. We should be proud of the achievements of the majority of our emigrants abroad who have successfully integrated into their adopted countries while maintaining the strongest links with Ireland. On my recent visit to Australia, I had the opportunity to meet with representative groups of Irish emigrants and to listen to their concerns at first hand. I was particularly pleased to be able to meet representatives of the Irish Welfare Bureaux in Sydney and Wollongong, whose valuable community work we support, and Fr. Tom Devereax, whose chaplaincy provides invaluable practical and pastoral care to the many thousands of young Irish people who travel to Australia. What struck me was their work not only for the very large young population but also for the older emigrant community. Harrowing stories of the lonely lives were shared. Many live alone in apartments. The Irish Welfare Bureau is involved in purchasing graves for many who cannot afford to buy a plot in a graveyard. It is important that the Government works with the tremendous organisations abroad which do invaluable work. They have conveyed their concerns to me and I intend to follow up on that. When I addressed various groups, I made the point that departing emigrants not only represented a huge loss to Ireland, but represented a huge gain in building countries such as Australia.

I accept we have a moral obligation to try to assist those who were forced to emigrate for economic or social reasons in the past and whose remittances home in the 1950s and 1960s contributed greatly to our economy and who now find themselves in difficulties. This sense of moral responsibility imbued much of the task force report and is reflected in the priority areas highlighted in the report, namely:

improving the effectiveness of the voluntary agencies involved in providing direct support to emigrants most in need by improving their capacity to secure funds from other sources,

promoting more co-operation and communication between voluntary agencies at home and abroad to ensure the best use of available resources and to maximise the impact of their combined efforts [these were the types of issues we discussed with the groups in Sydney] targeting assistance on the provision of front-line services to those who are at greatest risk of marginalisation and social exclusion, as well as the elderly and returning emigrants.

In its approach to implementing the task force report, the Government will focus on these priorities. Fortunately, the number of emigrants has declined very considerably and of those who emigrate now, only a small proportion requires special support. It should also be recognised that there is a responsibility on the host country to help these people and the burden cannot fall solely on the shoulders of the Irish Government. The Government, of course, is prepared to play its full part in helping the less fortunate emigrants and is working actively to implement the report of the task force. As I have said, many of its recommendations fall within the area of responsibility of other Ministers and so it will require a concerted effort from Government to bring about the desired changes. The Government will also work closely with the Governments of host countries and with voluntary Irish agencies abroad to maximise the impact of the combined efforts for the benefit of the Irish abroad.

In the 18 months or so since the publication of the task force report, considerable progress has been made. The terms of reference of engagement with Irish emigrants abroad have been changed. The Government intends to continue to deepen this dialogue and constructive engagement in the spirit of the report. It is an ongoing process and I do not think the Government will ever be able to say it has been completed. However, the Government has made, considerable progress in addressing it and it is for these reasons I commend to the House the amended motion tabled by the Government.