Mary Henry (Independent)

I thank Senator Quinn for sharing his time with me. I welcome the Minister to the House, whatever about the Bill. I do not know why so many have said they did not know this would happen. In the debate on the constitutional changes which were required following the Good Friday Agreement I warmly welcomed the fact that anyone born on the island of Ireland would retain the right to citizenship. I do not know what goes on between the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Health and Children, but I know that from the early 1990s the Department of Health and Children has been told that a very large number of non-nationals were coming here late in pregnancy and delivering their children here. That was at a time when it was almost automatic for people to get the right of residency if they had a child here.

We need to be more foresighted in the future. When this House discussed the legislation for the referendum I asked what would happen to all the little Irish citizens who would be cast out onto the waters of the world when we began to deport their parents. I am extremely grateful to the Coalition Against the Deportation of Irish Children for all the information it gave us and which was put on the record by Senator Norris.

This is a very serious issue. There is a tribunal inquiring into the abuse that happened to children in industrial schools and other institutions here. We will have something similar in years to come regarding children we deport who say they were deprived of their rights.

I am glad the Minister is going to address the general situation regarding rights to Irish citizenship because it is too opaque. One person regarding whom I have been making recommendations to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is very badly needed by the Department of Health and Children and has children who are Irish citizens. He cannot get Irish citizenship and cannot get employment here on a consultant basis because he is not an Irish citizen. It is necessary sometimes to take our own interests into account. These people must be very valuable to get as much support as they do to keep them here. We have terrible problems in the Department of Health and Children because residency and work permits do not coincide in terms of the length of time involved. There are people who were allowed residency for only six years whereas the duration of their course in the College of Surgeons is seven years and they could not stay on to take their examinations. That has been solved. However, such situations should not arise.

It would be good to welcome an expansion of the genetic pool in this country as we are pretty inbred and few people have come here for a long time. While we all thought we were descended from Celts who arrived with wolfhounds and long blond hair, the department of genetics in Trinity College would tell us that most of our ancestors came from the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore, we should not worry about some genes coming from further south. To take the example of the Olympic Games, not one sprinter without west African blood won a race. We should have foresight in this regard and should perhaps begin training people from west Africa who are currently in Ireland for the 2016 games so that we can take part on a more equal basis.

I wish the legislation had been left as it was. I am glad the Minister stated he will consider the position of the approximately 11,000 applicants on a case-by-case basis. If any of those who have been deported could be brought back, it should be done. Irish citizens should be brought up in Ireland if that is the will of their parents.