Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I fully support Senator Quinn's position, having been in the House long enough to know that joining central European time was one of the first initiatives he proposed in the Seanad. I hope the Leader will have something positive to say on the issue.

I ask the Leader to request the Minister of Foreign Affairs to come before the House in the early part of the autumn-winter term to discuss the Irish diaspora. I raise this issue for two reasons. First, as one of the legislative Chambers of the Republic of Ireland, the Seanad should devote at least one hour of our time each year to discussing the diaspora. To do so would give an indication of the Government's initiative in this area and show the wisdom of Senators on all sides and their personal experience in reaching out to the diaspora in its various forms.

Second, the Minister for Foreign Affairs announced that as a result of an initiative debated last autumn at the Farmleigh forum, plans are afoot to initiate a process that will result in a certificate of nationality being extended to as many as 70 million people worldwide who claim to be of Irish descent. It would be available to those who, for one reason or another, do not automatically qualify for Irish citizenship. This wonderful initiative is one of a number of such measures to have emerged from the forum.

The Farmleigh meeting, a wonderful initiative taken by David McWilliams and on which the Government quickly acted, was wrongly derided by some elements of the press. We are beginning to see some of the fruits of this gathering of the great and good from around the world who gave of their own time to attend. The forum brought together individuals from the corporate, social and political worlds to act in the best interests of the country. We need all the friends we can get in the current economic climate.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs to discuss the Irish diaspora and Government initiatives and give both sides an opportunity to make a contribution.