Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are all concerned about the ongoing conflict and human rights abuses in Ukraine. The EU has a less than laudable record when it comes to dealing with conflict on and near its borders. We hope that democracy and diplomacy will prevail on this occasion.

I welcome the debate today on job creation, but I would like it to be linked to the issue of emigration. We know that of the 89,000 people who emigrated last year, many were in employment. Some of them left jobs for which they were over-qualified or their qualifications were not suitable. These people have gone to other countries to use their education. When we hear about the creation of 61,000 jobs per year, we should bear in mind that those jobs are being created because people are emigrating. When the Government refers to the target of full employment by 2020, is it taking into account the more than 300,000 people who have emigrated in the past five years?

As a member of the first party to propose the appointment of a Minister for the Irish overseas and the diaspora, I commend the Taoiseach on sending Ministers around the world for St. Patrick's Day.

One will not hear the Fianna Fáil Party complain about the practice, although the media appear to take great enjoyment in pointing out that Ministers are heading all over the world for St. Patrick's Day. As I have stated previously, any country would be proud and privileged that its leaders have an opportunity to meet other Heads of State and Government and make a case for job creation, immigration rights and visa access. With this in mind, I ask the Leader to ensure the Taoiseach raises the issues of the undocumented and immigration reform in the United States while on Capitol Hill. Last year, when his speech was released to the Irish media it referred to the need to address immigration reform. However, the transcripts of his meeting showed that the issue was not raised.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business in respect of Nos. 7 and 8. One quarter of the 28,000 ministerial orders issued since the foundation of the State were signed in the past ten years. Ministers have too much power. No. 7 on the social welfare dietary supplement and No. 8 on the pension of the Director of Public Prosecutions were not debated in the House. As with many other regulations, these measures are being implemented by means of ministerial order, thus bypassing the Seanad, Dáil and committee. Too much power is concentrated in the hands of the few. We cannot claim to be a functioning democracy in that regard.