Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

It is unfair of Senator Norris to tar all councillors with the same brush. As a former county councillor I know the vast majority of councillors would not dream of becoming involved in the antics referred to in the programme shown on television the other night to which the Senator referred. Using the Chamber to spread unsubstantiated allegations about the councillor body as a whole is wrong and I ask Senator Norris to be more considered in his contributions in future.

Many Senators, including the Leader and some Front Bench spokespersons, attended the meeting of the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body held in Oxfordshire in recent days. Lord Dubs led a particularly interesting debate about the Irish community in Britain. A paper he prepared on the issue showed a vast difference in the experience of those who emigrated to Britain in the past 20 years as compared to those who emigrated in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The more recent arrivals have tended to integrate better and have found it much easier to maintain links with Ireland owing to factors such as lower travel costs and improvements in communications, including access to the Internet. We need to address the issue of how we can support elderly emigrants in the United Kingdom. Will the Leader ask the Minister to come before the House to hold a debate on the elderly Irish in Britain and how Members can improve their lot?