Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome those in the Visitors Gallery who were responsible for organising the PolskaÉire 2015 festival, including my cousin, Ms Niamh Nestor. I know that she is very passionate about all things Polish and I am aware that she was involved in organising an event at the UCD humanities institute which I was unable to attend but which was extremely successful. I congratulate her on her achievement in that regard.

I welcome the motion, particularly as it highlights an important issue and makes a number of worthwhile points. Ireland has witnessed a great many changes during the past 20 years. Immigration has seen the make-up of some towns, villages and cities change completely. Change is never something to be feared and, in that spirit, I am glad to welcome the establishment by the Government of the new office of Minister with responsibility for new communities, culture and equality. All three aspects highlighted within the office of the Minister of State relate to an important issue, namely, new communities, of which there are many and which are drawn from all corners of the world. The members of these communities have come to Ireland for many reasons. If one walks down any street in Dublin's city centre area, one will see food on sale which caters for different ethnicities and the fabric of the city is all the more diverse and better for it. If one walks through the city centre when an international soccer tournament is taking place elsewhere, regardless of which team is playing, be it Costa Rica, Japan, Democratic Republic of Congo, etc., one will find people from that part of the world watching, cheering and often wearing replica jerseys. Much like our emigrants, they want to keep in touch with their home countries, while also embracing the culture of their current home. I hope we can help them to do this and know that, in the context of his new responsibilities, the Minister of State will provide assistance in that regard.

Ireland, as a nation, and each of us, as individuals, can now see emigration from both sides, from the perspective of a country welcoming immigrants, including the challenges and opportunities to which it gives rise, as well as from the perspective of a country which has, sadly, lost some of its young people to emigration. We are all aware of the challenges posed by such a country and live in the ever-present hope that if our young people want to return, they will be able to do so some day. In that spirit, the highlighting of equality within the context of the Minister of State's new office is vital. It is important to emphasise that it must to apply to all individuals who reside in Ireland. There are still regrettable instances where people who live here are not treated equally or are slow to achieve equal status. I refer in this regard to the process of direct provision, a matter to which Senators Aideen Hayden and Ivana Bacik have alluded, and the sheer length of time it takes people to work their way through the system. There is no question that equality delayed is equality denied. In that context, I am hopeful an office with a focus on equality can sustain a push to improve the process of direct provision. I know that the Minister of State is personally very passionate about this issue.

The motion calls on us to commend the Minister of State for the work he has done to date with new communities. This is certainly something with which I agree because he has truly put these issues at the forefront and continued to battle on them, both by means of introducing legislation and in the media. He has engaged all stakeholders in a way that has shown his sincerity in the matter and I genuinely believe he deserves credit. As Senator Ivana Bacik noted, he was responsible for organising a football match between Oireachtas Members and members of the Polish community. I do not know whether we should be happy or sad about that, particularly when one considers the quality of some of the football played. He was also involved with the PolskaÉire 2015 festival which continued to cement the bond between Poland and Ireland. Immigration to this country from Polan really began during the Celtic tiger era and many of those who came here at the time have remained and made Ireland their home. It is important that we highlight and celebrate this fact and that we continue to bring the two nations together.

Irish people made such an impression on Poland during the Euro 2012 soccer tournament that the respective football associations organised two friendly matches – home and away – in the following year. Tourist numbers from Ireland to Poland and vice versahave increased dramatically and I hope they will continue on their upward trajectory. The PolskaÉire 2015 festival was one way to ensure this would be the case. I commend the concept of holding such a festival and hope we can make the 2016 version even better again.

My final point relates to the fact that the motion calls on the Minister of State to outline to the Seanad the work he has done in the development of the national integration strategy and on other matters related to integration and new communities. What is still a relatively new office has already achieved a great deal. I wish the Minister of State every success in the year ahead and hope we will see fit to maintain the new office in the future.