Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

——who are good friends of mine. I would never suggest that Senator Norris would be naive but I think he is being a little naive on purpose in the case of the bona fides of many of those students. The reality is that across the world, in Canada, the United States and Australia, there is ample evidence to show that the student visa system operates on the premise that study abroad is counternanced as a temporary phenomena. It is designed to last as long as the course. The fact of the matter is that we must continue to insist on the temporary nature of such students living in Ireland. We cannot in any way give them a false hope that there are possibilities for them to remain here. Therefore, it makes good common sense to have these provisions in the Bill. While we would all perhaps empathise with the case being made by Senator Norris, it is not on. We would be leaving ourselves wide open for much abuse of our visa and citizenship processes. Unfortunately, I must reject the amendment.