Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the visit over these two days of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, to Washington. He is focusing particularly on the plight of the undocumented Irish in the United States. He will meet Republican and Democrat politicians in the hope of making progress on the immigration reform Bill. We are all aware of the approximately 50,000 undocumented Irish in the United States, which is a source of great distress for a large number of Irish families on both sides of the water. While Skype is wonderful, it is no consolation to somebody who cannot pick up his or her grandchild. It is a very important issue and I am delighted that the Tánaiste is making it a priority.

I highlight the worrying deterioration of the situation in Iraq, particularly a YouTube video showing the assassination of a Shia prisoner in front of a large crowd of Isis militants which included children as young as eight years of age holding guns and watching the execution. It is a tragedy of the highest order to have children involved in such a conflict. Can we have a debate with the Tánaiste on his return from Washington to discuss the undocumented Irish and general foreign affairs issues, including the situation in Iraq and other places around the world that are causing great concern?