Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I thank Senator Henry for sharing time. I welcome the Minister and concur with the support expressed for him and the motion. It is important that we look at this issue in a way that can make a difference for young Irish people in the United States.

It is most important that we say to those people on Capitol Hill who oppose this proposed legislation that every single economy in the world that has had an influx of immigrants has reaped a significant reward and benefit in the following generation. The children of immigrants have always proven to make a significant injection into the economy in which they live. Many young Irish people have arrived in foreign places with an eagerness to contribute and they now find themselves in a position where they cannot obtain driving licences and where simple matters such as banking are almost impossible. The same is true of attending a doctor, providing or gaining a medical history, getting married or obtaining the documentation people need for their daily lives. Life is proving impossible for these undocumented, illegal people in the United States. Difficulties are also encountered when it comes to insurance, particularly medical insurance, and even simple things such as credit cards.

These people are forced into a black economy. They are obliged to enter the shadows and not participate in the everyday work and life of the society in which they live. They are cast as criminals even though they have done nothing illegal in terms of their daily activities. As has already been said, they are paying taxes, adding to productivity and making a serious contribution to the economy of the United States. However, they are unacknowledged, unrecognised, undocumented and invisible within that country's economy.

Any efforts the Minister makes will be supported by groups on all sides. Perhaps there are not many votes in this and for that reason it reflects well on Irish political life that people from both sides can come together in both Houses to say that they want something done for the individuals in question. We are all aware of families where parents worry every single night about their son or daughter in the United States who does not have the comfort and protection of citizenship, legality, etc. There is also the concern regarding whether they can get treatment if something happens to them. It is unlikely that they can ever come home for family occasions, be they occasions of sorrow or joy. They are effectively in exile.

That is why it is important from our point of view that we look at what is required on Capitol Hill. Is it possible that the State, under the control and authority of the Irish ambassador to Washington, would organise a full briefing of all the people who are worried about this matter on Capitol Hill. They should lobby all the people over there, put the points to them and see what we can give back. Senator Mooney made an important point about some reciprocation in terms students from the United States coming to Ireland so that there would be flexibility in movement between the two countries. That is something important which should be done. The easiest way for this to be achieved would be if there was no longer any need for Irish people travelling to and from the United States to obtain visas. In this global society, we should be seen as a benign nation and there should be a free movement of labour between both economies. It would not be a significant problem for either side to come to arrangement on this.

It is up to us to show the support of these Houses to Senators McCain, Kennedy and others who have taken an important step to recognise the unrecognised and to give life back to these lost people in the Unites States' economy, namely, the illegal Irish immigrants who are marginalised, excluded and vulnerable. They are prevented from participation and it behoves us to do our best for them.

In 1988 I raised in this House the importance of giving emigrants a voice in Irish society. I still believe there is a case for giving a restricted representation for emigrants in the Houses of the Oireachtas. I am not referring to an out-of-control proposal that would suddenly result in Irish emigrants in the United States or United Kingdom running Irish politics or dictating Irish policies. We would establish a line of contact were we to give representation and a voice to Irish emigrants, in this House in particular but perhaps also in the other House. This could and should be done and it would bring us closer to understanding the needs, worries and concerns of those about whom we speak.

In 1988, when I made this proposal, I could not obtain any support from the main political parties. Some time later, some Members on the Fine Gael Front Bench supported it. There is certainly wider support for it today. In this regard, Senator Mooney has supported my view on a number of occasions. When I spoke on this subject in 1988 I got a very good reception in London. However, I read an Irish emigrant newspaper — I forget which one — the following week and, to my surprise, I noted I was being castigated for making an appalling proposal. I looked at the name of the person who wrote the article and who had a go at my proposal to support Irish emigrants and I noted it was a person I had not heard of or seen before. It was somebody called Conor Lenihan, an Irish emigrant working in the United Kingdom. Twenty years later he has become a Minister of State in this country. Maybe he has changed his mind on the matter in the meantime.

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, well with this motion.