Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I share the concerns that have been expressed about the recent developments concerning immigration in the USA. However, how we respond to and deal with this international challenge, which is what it is, is very important. It is important that the Taoiseach visit the White House on St. Patrick's weekend and I disagree with and strongly reject what the Fianna Fáil Seanad leader has said about the Government. The Government is concerned about the undocumented Irish. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, is in Washington as we speak, engaging through his embassy and with his consulate and American officials, and he will highlight the concerns of the undocumented Irish. The Government appointed a Minister of State for the diaspora. It appointed a Member of this House, Senator Billy Lawless, who is a strong voice for many of our Irish emigrants in the United States of America. Therefore, I believe it is unfair to be political on this very important issue for all of us and I ask the Seanad leader of Fianna Fáil to take back what she put on the record today.

Thousands of Irish people have used the pre-clearance facility in Dublin and Shannon airports and continue to take advantage of it. Simply abandoning it will not achieve what I think we all wish for in respect of our shared concerns regarding immigration. We must be very careful in how we approach this issue.

I turn briefly to another major challenge Ireland faces, namely, Brexit. The economic challenges our country faces with Brexit cross many sectors - the agrifood sector, our trade and our economy - but one sector which can be particularly vulnerable is the energy and IT sector. As an island nation, now is the time for us to engage with our European partners to invest in an energy interconnector with mainland Europe, a high-speed broadband interconnector with mainland Europe and a transatlantic broadband connection with the United States of America. We cannot afford to allow ourselves to be isolated or at a disadvantage in any way if a hard Brexit occurs.Now is the time to put the fundamental parts in place in planning for infrastructure so Ireland can compete internationally and around the world with no disadvantages as an island nation. Our European partners can help us with that. I ask the Leader of the House to arrange a debate on these issues so Ministers can outline their plans on how they propose to deal with these challenges.