Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Many want to return but cannot for practical reasons. It is not just Sinn Féin that is pushing for this Government centred approach. In 2014, addressing a US multinational forum, An Taoiseach said that the job of Government is to make Ireland more attractive so that people will want to come back. I could not agree more with the sentiment. The fact that the roughly 300,000 people who left between 2010 and 2014 were between 16 and 45 years of age means that most of them will be looking for employment on their return. There are many difficulties facing emigrants wishing to return to Ireland, and Sinn Féin has consistently made the Government aware of these issues and we continue to put pressure on it to act upon them. We want an Ireland that is seen as an attractive and viable option for emigrants thinking of returning home.

Many returning emigrants face difficulties in obtaining car insurance and are often charged extortionate premiums. For example, someone returning from five years in Australia with a no claims record may not have that record recognised when applying for cover upon returning to Ireland. In the report by the finance committee Sinn Féin ensured that reference to this was made, and will be keeping the pressure on the insurance companies to act quickly.

The Minister of State is currently putting our undocumented emigrants in the United States in jeopardy. Many of those were dependent on their drivers licence as their photo ID in the situation that they are in. Changes in the way that the licences are being issued mean that people now have to come to an Irish department on the island of Ireland to get their new licences reissued, and they cannot do that if they are undocumented because it would mean that they cannot go back. That must be addressed as an issue because this has been a crucial piece of documentation that many of the undocumented Irish have been using.

Many banks now demand that recent utility bills be produced as proof of address in order to open a new account. Mobile phone bills are not accepted for this purpose. It is impossible to sign up to utility services in the first place if one does not have the utility bills to back up the opening of the bank account. The banks must ensure that habitual residency regulations are not allowed to act as a barrier to returning emigrants, and I am not sure if there is an engagement with the banks on those issues. Many returning emigrants also face difficulty in having their previous year's PRSI contributions recognised, especially when applying for assistance in the first few months after returning.

There is a need for Quality and Qualifications Ireland to update the current list of qualifications and to respond speedily to requests for recognition and placement of qualifications earned abroad. This issue has been highlighted in various surveys of emigrants as one of the main obstacles. The Government has entered into a number of separate agreements with regional governments in several countries for mutual recognition of driver's licences. These agreements do not cover all areas of countries. For example, in Canada only a few provinces have made such an arrangement with the State. Perhaps the Minister of State can update us as to what work is ongoing to increase the level of acceptance.

We have been asking for the Minister of State to come here since we were all elected last year. Without wanting these topics to dominate the debate, Brexit and President Trump's election have added urgency to the need to act and to show Irish emigrants that we can match deed with word. The uncertain situation of the 50,000 Irish people who are undocumented in the US and the broader implications of the policy decisions being taken by President Trump for the lives of the 50 million Irish people who live there are of huge importance. This week's announcement has been particularly worrying to people who have been in contract with me, and the fact that more police at a lower level are going to be given extra powers to stop and detain people who have any kind of a record against them is very worrying. It appears that there is no plan or strategy to address these challenges.

The rights of women, members of the LGBTQ community, religious freedom, social and cultural rights, the business community and others are in danger of being seriously undermined or changed dramatically, and we need to know what supports are being provided and what advice is being given to these Irish people in the United States. We know that the Ministers are travelling on St. Patrick's Day, but what is the message that our Ministers are actually going out there and giving?

I have so much more I could say on this issue. A mother contacted me during the week. Her daughter has moved to Canada as a student, and the mother was the guarantor of a bank loan of hers. The bank is now hounding this lady's daughter even though she is making repayments on her bank loan. The mother is the guarantor of the loan and the bank will not engage with the mother, who is actually physically on the island of Ireland. It is a disgrace. It is little practical stories like that, of agencies and organisations on this island that are not engaging and are not making it easy for the diaspora and our Irish citizens to return.

There has been a lot of talk on the subject of voting rights. It is time for action. I want to know what is in the report, what type of a model of voting rights the Minister of State is going to advocate, when it will come forward and if we will have it in time for the next Presidential election. Those are the questions I am being asked by the Irish diaspora.