Tony Kett (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. The referendum on the proposed change to the Constitution deals with one matter only, the notion of citizenship. I hope that by the time this debate has concluded both in this and the other House, we will have re-established the value and definition of citizenship. It means more to me and to most people than just a passport or a legal status. It is inextricably linked with belonging to a community, participating in that community, having a commitment to the society in which one lives and having loyalty to the country, irrespective of one's colour or race. It brings with it privileges, obligations, duties and political rights. It also affords the protection of the State. In our democracy, we balance what we, as individuals, can do for our country in assisting its prosperity and well-being with, as a gentleman once said, what our country can do for us. We should all deeply value this concept.

I consider myself a citizen of Ireland not only because I was born here, but because my parents and their parents before them were also born here and, I hope, made a contribution. We must also recognise the contribution made by people who have come here from every corner of the world. Their presence has enriched our society and educated us in new expressions of culture.

As a nation, we have travelled the world and through this and our communication with other cultures we have, probably more than most other nations, learned to understand many aspects of being a stranger in a strange country. Given our contribution to other countries in which we found ourselves residing, including England, America and Australia, we appreciate the importance of making a contribution. If the referendum is passed, the Government will make a positive distinction between those who place value on participation in society and those who have no connection, whether good, bad or indifferent, with this country, but come here to acquire citizenship, an Irish passport and the associated privileges. That is the nub of its proposal.

It is an incredible distortion of what it means to be Irish to have a constitutional framework which confers citizenship and all the legal and political rights it bestows on persons who have no tangible connection with this country. The Constitution gives such rights to people whose parents came here for no other reason than to give birth and thereby obtain an Irish passport and birth certificate for their child, before perhaps returning to the European Union country of their choice and using what they have gained here for their benefit. By conferring citizenship on the future children of these estranged Irish born citizens, we are creating not one but at least two generations of citizens. It is clear the Constitution is being systematically abused. In such circumstances, the Government is duty bound to identify problems, inform the public about them and allow them an opportunity to do something about it if they so desire.

I denounce the cowardice of the masters of the Dublin maternity hospitals, who, when asked to make a public comment on this issue, ran away from it. As the Minister inferred at the time, they approached him seeking support as regards their resource requirement. I understand they also met the Minister for Health and Children on the same issue around the same time. Despite this, on a morning radio news programme recently, I heard one of them back away from the resource issue to the extent that one would have thought there was no problem. One could be forgiven for believing there was some political motivation in their comment. If they had no concern in the first place, why did they seek a meeting with the Ministers?

We are being told that non-national births are making a significant impact in maternity hospitals across the State, not only the three Dublin maternity hospitals. The high percentage of pregnant asylum seekers aged 16 years and over presenting at these hospitals — the Minister indicated that 58% of female asylum seekers are pregnant on arrival — is having a serious impact on their resources. We cannot ignore this and neither can they as they have a commitment to the hospitals in which they work. If the masters are so concerned, why have we heard so little from them in the last couple of weeks? I understand that they do not want to get involved in the constitutional aspect. Like any of us, their only responsibility is to vote. One would expect, as I have done with the voluntary organisations with whom I worked, to fight like hell for whatever additional finance is available if there is a problem with resources.

A spokesperson for the Rotunda hospital said that 29% of the births in that hospital are to non-nationals. There were 350 in 1998 and Senator O'Meara suggested that this was not a new thing. If there were only 350 in 1998 and 1,951 in 2003 there is something happening. Non-national births in the Coombe amount to 22% of all births there and there is a similar trend in the National Maternity Hospital. Figures do not lie and do appear to be highly disproportionate. People to whom I have spoken and who work in the area are absolutely convinced that it is the uniqueness of the facility that Irish citizenship brings in Europe that is causing this. We are bringing ourselves in line with our European partners, yet we will still have a more liberal position than they have.

I will not debate the issue of timing because the Minister has dealt with that adequately. It makes no sense not to have this on 11 June. There was a 29% turnout at the last local and European elections in Dublin. We need every opportunity and we need to give the voters every encouragement to come out to vote. Something like this will be the catalyst for that, particularly in the area I represent.

Those who have predicted a racist dimension to this referendum should now reflect on the wisdom of their allegations. They should address the proposed changes on their merit. The Government is proposing a new citizenship law which will continue to grant citizenship regardless of race. I give the Minister my full support.