Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I congratulate Mr. Martin Groves on his new position and wish him well in it. If he does it as well as he has done his other job since I came here, I am certain he will have success. He will have all our co-operation in doing that job. I commend the Hughes family on their initiative on Westport House and congratulate all involved. At the end of the day, they were the people who put their hands in their pocket. They have a proven track record and it is good for Westport. Hopefully it will work out well for the Hughes family as well.It certainly could not be in the hands of better promoters than the Hughes family.

I refer to the executive order introduced last week by US President Donald Trump to halt the US refugee programme and the introduction by him of a travel ban for nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries. They are in breach of EU and UN obligations and amount to the subversion of proper standards of decency and equality. I am firmly of the view that this arbitrary ban is wrong and will be totally counterproductive. It will undermine efforts to improve relations between peoples of all faiths and nationalities. Generations of Irish people fled starvation, poverty and conflict to make a new life and contributed to the building of America. Millions of their descendants are among the most outraged at the recent moves. It is worth noting that many Americans are opposed to President Trump's policies. The Irish Government should refuse to impose the ban on citizens from the seven countries in question seeking to enter the United States through the pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon airports. We have organised a protest tomorrow at Shannon Airport on this very issue. We need to ensure the State's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and other international agreements will be fully observed. The question is whether the Government will take the opportunity to advise the undocumented Irish in the United States not to be alarmed by recent developments. I know that many people are frightened. Will the Taoiseach meet them when he is in the USA to hear from and talk to them about the issue? The focus of his visit has to be on engaging with the diaspora, stand uping for the undocumented Irish and maintaining our strong ties with Irish America. Will the Government indicate in the strongest possible terms the Irish people's total opposition to the racist, anti-woman and anti-immigrant policies of President Trump? There is a big job of work to be done and we are relying on the Taoiseach to do it. We, in the Sinn Féin Party, will be doing likewise.

I commend the farming organisations, including the IFA and the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, for the protests they have organised today on the delays in making GLAS payments to 10,000 farmers. That is wrong and my colleague, Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, will talk further about the issue.