Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the outset I want to welcome my colleague and fellow Ulsterman, the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, and commend the energy, commitment and effectiveness he brings to the role. I am also happy to share this platform in the Seanad with Senator Lawless. The appointment by the Taoiseach of the Minister of State's predecessor, Jimmy Deenihan, as Minister of State with responsibility for diaspora affairs, and Senator Lawless to the Seanad is a clear recognition of how Government views the question of our diaspora and its centrality. There is no question about that, nor should there be.

From my earliest childhood the question of emigration impinged on me in a very significant way in terms of my extended family and my neighbours. It was very much part of our lives. One of my earliest memories is of seeing a lovely lady crying at the end of an avenue near where I lived and asking my parents why that was the case. They told me it was because she had just left her daughter in a hackney car which would take her to the bus to go to England. That was the reality of emigration, and it was a reality in every home throughout the community in which I grew up. I am very attuned to it. As a student I worked every summer in areas where there were large emigrant communities. As the chair of a local authority, I undertook many visits to Irish communities in the United Kingdom and in America.

It was important that we had not only the appointments I cited earlier but that in March 2015, we developed Global Irish: Ireland's Diaspora Policy, which sought to support and have a policy and focus on our diaspora under a number of headings.

The funding under the Government's emigrant support fund was continued effectively by this Government. That was initiated in 2004 by a previous Administration. In 2017, we committed €11.5 million to that programme, which supports numerous organisations across the Irish communities abroad and does very good work. I am aware that in 2016, €2.3 million was given to two quality organisations in America. That is highly commendable.

It is a conservative estimate to say that there are 50,000 undocumented Irish. The figure belies the human tragedy, however, including the painful reality of not being able to return home for family funerals or weddings, the living in fear and all that goes with that, and living under the radar, so to speak. I heard one emigrant being interviewed on what I believe was the Sean O'Rourke programme - I am not quite sure - who said there was nothing wrong with that but that she could only work as a waitress in bars. There was a limited number of occupations she could take up because she was undocumented. It is a dreadful no man's land, and it is a very serious situation.

Senator Lawless referenced the fact that some undocumented Irish might be able to come home. That is the case, but the Senator is more aware than any of us in the Chamber that many of them are not in a position to come home because of bonds they have formed and their particular circumstances in America. It is not an option to come home, and that makes it particularly painful and difficult for them. There is great uncertainty and fear among the undocumented Irish now.

I join my colleagues in saying to the Minister of State that we want an all-out diplomatic assault on this question. We want it to be the major priority around the St. Patrick's Day visits of the Minister of State and other Ministers to America and of the Taoiseach. Our commitment to and concern about this issue has to go all the way to Capitol Hill and to all the relevant personnel in terms of what we want done. There has to be a major diplomatic offensive in that regard. I would like to hear the Minister of State commit to that in his response and outline how that would happen, and I know the Minister has a similar view of the world in that regard.

Senator Lawless cited the good work he has been doing and highlighted the great business relationships between the US and Ireland. That must be built on and reciprocal arrangements need to be put in place in that regard. There is not much more to be said other than we want a major diplomatic offensive on this issue and no obfuscation. Nothing else is more important on this St. Patrick's Day, and nothing should be attacked as widely as this move.

I am glad that the global Irish civic forum will meet here again in May 2017 and that it will bring all the wonderful organisations together. I am happy to hear that the Minister of State has done background work on that. In that regard, it has been mooted that we would have The Gathering No. 2 where the Irish abroad would be the focus and send their representatives home. The Minister is probably not at liberty to go into detail on it yet, but I commend the move if it is true and if it is not, it should be considered because it is a great idea. It would be a tremendous potential source of tourism, although bonds and friendships have been formed. It would be very relevant in dealing with the undocumented Irish and what we are trying to do in that regard. I am in favour of holding The Gathering a second time. The previous one was a very successful affair. We should have The Gathering No. 2, with the focus on emigrant communities around the world.

The tourism potential in terms of our diaspora is enormous. We had 8 million visitors to the country last year who spent €4.7 billion. That was a 9% increase on 2015. Much of that is related to the diaspora, and it is very important.

The country has a skills shortage. One thousand jobs a month are being created in the construction sector. According to a DKM Economic Consultants report for the Construction Industry Federation, 112,000 skilled employees are needed in the sector. For that reason, there is potential to encourage some emigrants home from various countries. The Minister of State might respond to that when concluding the debate.

In the contributions of all Members of the Seanad who speak in this debate, and it would be the case if there was a debate in the Dáil, the focus is on the one question that concerns us, namely, the position of our undocumented Irish in America. I do not want anything to distract from that. I look forward to the Minister of State's further comment on that when he concludes the debate.