Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Even though there are only about six Members in the Chamber, this debate is quite astonishing, in the most positive sense. Seanad Éireann is replicating what was done in Dáil Éireann. The initiative in both Houses arose because one of the most influential members of the US Senate told us that it would be of assistance to himself and Senator Kennedy in achieving something. This is not a matter of government to government or official to official. It is members of one parliament talking to members of another and, as Senator Mooney can confirm, without any pressure from any of the Irish delegation. We were immensely grateful that Senator John McCain devoted an hour of his day to talking to us. As any Member who has sat in the Chair of this House will know, we Irish parliamentarians do not use one sentence when we can use ten. I do not suggest, for a second, that I am different from anyone else in that regard.

It was an extraordinarily wide-ranging and interesting discussion. At the end, the Ceann Comhairle, as leader of the group, asked whether there was anything we could do to assist Senator McCain. He volunteered that it would be useful to him on the floor of Congress if both Houses of the Irish Parliament were to passed a resolution in support of the Bill he and Senator Kennedy have proposed and its equivalent in the House of Representatives. The Irish Embassy in Washington, whose staff, as always, were most helpful to our parliamentary delegation, was more than happy to arrange this.

At the risk of sounding a little querulous, although not about other Senators, a smart-arsed journalist — excuse my language, a Chathaoirleach — could have described the visit of seven or eight Members of the Oireachtas to Washington as a junket at the taxpayers' expense. The only reason none has done so is that journalists did not notice our trip. The visit may have been paid for by taxpayers but journalists would not have reported on the progress we made which would not otherwise have been possible. While any Oireachtas delegation visiting Washington would have been as successful as we were, our visit was a worthwhile step in the process of attrition. We were not the first nor will we be the last group of parliamentarians to visit Capitol Hill to discuss issues with Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The objective is to renew acquaintances, listen to them and try to advance issues through persuasion. The combined work of the Government and Members of the Oireachtas at different levels and playing different roles achieved this goal.

The issue of the undocumented Irish in America is a poignant reminder of where Ireland used to be and what it has become in a positive sense. In the early 1980s, when my first child was four or five years old, everyone of my age faced the prospect that their children would emigrate because Ireland did not offer them a future. It is difficult to recall how grim this country was at the time. It was probably on the brink of experiencing what Argentina, another country in the developed world, went through when it was in serious danger of sliding backwards.

Many of the thousands of young people who left Ireland out of necessity had their status resolved thanks to the goodwill of members of the US Congress. The remaining 25,000 Irish emigrants in the United States — we will not know the figure until the issue of undocumented Irish in the US is resolved — are a little like Oisín i ndiaidh na Féinne in that the world has changed in Ireland and the US. The undocumented Irish need our support because this is no longer the country they left and the United States is no longer the country they entered, having become much colder towards illegal immigrants since the attacks of 11 September 2001. Ireland has also changed as a result of new problems and prosperity.

But for the diligence of Members other than me — I did not campaign vigorously on the issue — the undocumented emigrants could have been forgotten. It is a tribute to both Houses, perhaps more so than the Government, that the issue has been vigorously advanced by all sides of the political spectrum and progress is in prospect. The apparent support of President Bush, to which Senator McCain adverted, is extremely important.

The intensity of emotion generated by the alleged flood of immigrants in some staunchly republican states such as Arizona, from which Senator McCain hails, requires political courage from the Senator and the President. Senator McCain had no compunction about describing some of the response to immigration as racist. His reasonable position is that he wants to regularise immigrants with a view to developing a sustainable, enforceable policy on immigration.

It is clear that if the issue at stake was confined to the position of 25,000 undocumented Irish people, it would be solved in half an hour. The complication is the fear of an invasion of millions of Hispanics. The irony, however, is that large parts of the economy of the United States, particularly in the southern states, would not function without 10 million illegal immigrants. The McCain-Kennedy proposal is an attempt to address the problem.

The generosity shown by Senator McCain is a remarkable example of the way in which the US political system works. Although a republican — some of his comments about the German economy defined his view of what a republican would be in the United States — the Senator does not conform to any stereotype on a range of issues. For this reason, he is more likely to have considerable influence. As Senator Mooney noted, his favourite writers are Roddy Doyle and William Trevor.

Senator McCain's capacity to be generous and forgive those in Vietnam against whom he could in the eyes of many legitimately feel something other than warmth and forgiveness could be copied by many people on this island in respect of the tradition to which we give our allegiances. He has obviously achieved full reconciliation and told us, for example, that he is probably more widely recognised in Saigon than in some cities in the United States. He is a good example of a person who has forgiven, moved on and left history to others.

This is a unique opportunity. Like everyone else, I have friends of my own age or somewhat older who have undocumented children in the United States. One such friend has three successful children with good earning capacity in the United States. All of them are illegal and unable to come home and must instead receive visits from their parents. It is worth remembering that most illegal emigration to the United States occurred about 20 years ago. As the parents of the emigrants in question are 20 years older, they are less likely to be able to travel and more likely to be sick. Moreover, the emigrants are also aging and face all sorts of complications. Unfortunately, if this issue is not resolved, a number of them will be unlikely to visit their parents at home again or, given their parents' age, unlikely to see them in the United States again.

As I stated, this is an extraordinary moment because we are passing a resolution in both Houses of the Irish Parliament in order to encourage movement on legislation — at the request of the people sponsoring it — in another sovereign parliament. We are doing it, not because we are interfering or endeavouring to do so, but because we were asked to. It is something we should be glad to do. I am glad to do it. I am glad the Government parties responded as quickly as they did and tabled a motion, which seems eminently sensible and which I and my party will enthusiastically support.