Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I concur with the views of Senator Cannon on one-off housing. He referred to a conference he attended and the view expressed that one-off housing did not contribute to community life and community spirit, which is at variance with the facts as we know them. In Britain the village concept involves congested housing but in Ireland the traditional village community was always understood to mean a dispersed community. In that context, I do not think anyone would suggest we did not have good community spirit as a result.

I ask the Leader for a debate on the Irish Diaspora which was the subject of debate in the House when specific issues arose. In the chequered history of Ireland one of the most significant elements was the mass exodus of thousands of people who travelled all over the world. They subsequently proved to be a great resource for this country at any time when they were needed. This is still the case. Therefore, a debate would be worthwhile to examine the current status of the Diaspora. We know there are certain funding opportunities for organisations abroad but I wonder if we should take a closer look to see what their needs are. In one context, we are talking about members of the first generation who are still particularly deprived and very often do not have anyone to look after them. I would like to hear a report on how the welfare organisations have been responding with the funding they have received. There are other cultural and sports organisations and it would be worth looking at the role played by them. There is a danger that these issues will go off the radar, as happened in recent times. However, we need to focus on and have a debate to examine the funding and structures available and the reports on the funding invested to see if there are further ways we can help. In America these groups are coming together formally to see how they can pool their resources. I would welcome such a debate at an early stage.