Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here because there are many important issues concerning emigration and the diaspora. Like many others, I was part of that diaspora for many years, so it is personal to us. When one comes from the west of Ireland it is personal to all communities there, given what emigration has done.

I thank the Minister of State for presenting his report which I have read. I am sure that Irish pensioners will put some of the issues to him also. My worry is that while a lot is said about emigration and the diaspora, it belies the Constitution in terms of the actions that have been taken.I appreciate that the Minister of State has only been in his position for a number of months. I am concerned, however, about what progress that has been made. Perhaps there has been some progress. For that reason, it is important that the Minister of State update the Seanad regularly, particularly on the interdepartmental committee on the Irish abroad, given the merits in that. As my colleague, Senator Ó Clochartaigh, stated, we need to know how many times the committee has met and we need information from those meetings about the plans and work that have been undertaken across Departments.

I am glad that the Minister of State’s number of followers on Twitter has been increasing daily, but this is not just about communication. It is about truly recognising the inherent rights of Irish citizens no matter where they live. It seems that, when citizens get on the plane, boat or however they travel, their citizenship and what it means to be an Irish citizen seem to be left at the port or airport. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Voting rights for the diaspora constitute a major issue. The Minister of State reports to the Seanad and tells us that the Government is all for voting rights and is working on this, but we cannot see any work being done. It is like the secret service. We need to know what models are being examined and how the situation is playing out. Sinn Féin tabled a responsible motion asking the Minister for a timeline on voting rights for the diaspora, but it was blocked by those who block everything that Sinn Féin proposes, namely, Fianna Fáil and the Government. The Minister of State will forgive me if I am somewhat dubious about claims that work is being done on the models. I accept that this is a complex issue. However, when the removal of the marriage ban was mooted, we were told by Fianna Fáil that it was fine for other countries but it could not be done here because it was too complex for us Irish. It was not complex at all.