Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I covered Senator Ruane's point about the education potential and I am willing to work with the Seanad on that.

Senator Higgins raised a very important point on the fears about the executive orders in America. She also talked about Brexit, our history and moral authority and obligation. I agree entirely with the Senator. I also go to countries wearing my other hat, that of Minister of State with responsibility for international development. I go to places like Kenya and Uganda and see the contribution that Irish missionaries have made. The people working in NGOs arrive out there on a voluntary basis. There is appreciation of the role the Irish have played and for what we have contributed down the centuries. We have an understanding of what migration is about because Irish people left our shores and went to places like New Brunswick in Canada where something like 51% of the population is of Irish descent.

We can learn from our movement. Sometimes figures can be a distraction from the real human problem. There are 65 million people displaced; 20 million people have refugee status of whom 10 million are children. There are 10 million children with refugee status so these are the bigger issues. I join with the Senator and Senator Ó Ríordáin when they say we have to look at all the other moving parts. The new Administration in America and Brexit are moving parts but there are other moving parts that are part of this overall solution. I met 2,000 women and children in a transfer station in Adjumani in northern Uganda. When I looked into their eyes they still had hope even though they were in a transfer station. They had hope because they left a terrible situation in South Sudan. We have a duty and obligation to help them. I will connect that point to the diaspora. My two portfolios, diaspora and international development, are not separate.They are intrinsically linked. When I was in Nairobi, I met nuns who were working as diaspora missionaries. For example, on one project, Sr. Mary Owens from the Loreto order was caring for 124 children who are HIV carriers. She was working on a project with a whole laboratory set up. This is the type of interconnectivity we have. Diaspora and international development are interlinked. People use phrases such as "harness the diaspora" and we could debate what that means but where the Irish diaspora is already playing a role internationally, perhaps we can work out a way to figure out a lot of the problems. I agree 100% with the Senator on the definition and our history of migration and what is our contribution.

On the resources for births, deaths and marriages, the Senator mentioned PRSI and pensions. The Senator also mentioned the J1 visa programme. I welcome the announcement two weeks ago of an additional 2,700 J1 places in the United States. The Senator also mentioned the Fulbright programme. On visiting the United States as Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeltacht affairs, I got to know young Irish people in universities such as Notre Dame who were teaching Irish to American students. While many of them had Irish ancestry, some did not have an Irish connection but had an Irish affinity and it is crucial that we hold on to those programmes.

Senator Richmond referred to Argentina and on the diaspora closer to home, spoke of the importance of London. I visited the House of Commons and met a number of people, including the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire. While there I articulated the concerns of the Government and the citizens around potential issues for the Border and Brexit.

Senator Boyhan also mentioned the interdepartmental committee and I covered that. I agree with the Senator that it was a brave decision to appoint Senator Billy Lawless and it was also a good decision. Senator Boyhan talked about the difficulty for the emigrants in London who cannot come home. I saw that yesterday morning in Kilburn when I met emigrants from Clare, Galway, Laois and Kerry. Although I was searching around for a Donegal person yesterday morning, I did not come across anyone.