Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister and compliment him on the tremendous work he is doing in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The recent increase in carer's leave to two years is a tremendous support to people who are caring for those who suffer from long-term illness. They can now be off work for two years and are guaranteed that they will get their job back after that time. Neither do they have to be related to the person for whom they are caring. I want to record my appreciation of that.

The joint committee report on migration contains a powerful and enlightened sentiment on the contribution of immigrants to our society. It echoes the ideals of the 1916 Proclamation when it states that immigration has the potential to create in Ireland an exciting, young, highly-skilled and outward-looking society where wealth is created for the benefit of all and where the contribution of each member of society is recognised and cherished. That philosophy of inclusion presents all of us with a challenge, especially Oireachtas Members, to provide laws that foster inclusion and prevent exploitation of migrants.

I want to make four points. Our economy could not achieve or sustain its current growth rates of some 5% per year without the contribution and skills of the migrant workers who have come here over the past few years. Generally speaking, Irish people do not realise how disabled our economy would be if we did not have immigrant workers. We hear much rhetoric and small talk but people generally do not realise that our economy would fall flat on its face without economic immigrants.

The 2002 census indicated that 6% of our population were immigrants. The word from the new census being carried out currently is that immigrants will make up 10% of our population, and there is no reason to believe that growth will not continue. Until now, only the United Kingdom, Sweden and Ireland allowed free entry to people from the EU accession states but three or four other countries, including Spain and Portugal, have agreed that in future they will allow free access from EU countries. Immigration may ease off here, therefore, when the immigrants go to other countries.

The report dated April 2006 states that 62,000 people who came here in the past two years were from the ten EU accession countries but a report in one of today's newspapers states that 200,000, not 60,000, came here in the past two years from those ten accession countries. The figure, therefore, is far beyond what we had predicted. The report is dated April 2006 but already the figure has increased from 62,000 to 200,000.

Immigrants here work in restaurants, hotels, shops, IT customer support companies and on building sites. I find them an inspiration. Their work ethic, dedication and enthusiasm in customer service is outstanding. It may not be politically correct to say so but it is a major contrast to our workers. Last night on the way home I went into a beauty salon in Dundrum at around 8.45 p.m. An advertisement for a new service was displayed and I went in——