Billy Lawless (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will use two and a half minutes and give the remaining minute and a half to Senator Craughwell.

I welcome the Taoiseach to the Seanad. I congratulate him on his recent trip to Washington for the annual St. Patrick's Day celebrations. In his speech at the White House he assured President Trump that the Irish Government will continue to work with the US Administration to find a solution to our undocumented issue, and that we are willing to match any concessions with the same or better for Americans seeking to live in Ireland. In the event of this coming to pass, one major issue that the Government will have to address is to allow Americans to convert their US driver licences to Irish ones. Presently, we do not have a reciprocal agreement with the United States. We have an agreement with the European Union, Australia and some provinces in Canada. Driving licences could be a major problem for both US citizens who come here to live and, indeed, for Irish emigrants looking to return home. I listened with great interest to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nanci Pelosi, yesterday in her address at the joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas. She reaffirmed that there is a great relationship between Ireland and the United States and referred to the high esteem in which we are held by successive Administrations.

During our meeting on foreign affairs I spoke to Congressman Richie Neal who assured us of his full support for the re-introduction of the Irish E-3 visa scheme, hopefully by the end of the month. I hope everything will be done to ensure that the initiative enjoys a smooth passage through the US Senate this time around. I thank the Taoiseach and Deputy Deasy for the work that they have done in bringing this matter to Congress.

In terms of the referendum on voting rights in the presidential election that is due to be held later this year, I welcome the Taoiseach's commitment to our citizens in terms of the granting of voting rights for the presidential election and getting the referendum over the line. It will not be an easy thing to do. Last week, I met officials who work in the Irish abroad unit. On that occasion I was delighted to hear that there is a proposal to introduce online registration for our citizens who live abroad. I would like to go one step further and suggest that we consider introducing online voting. In 2020, France will introduce online voting for its citizens who live abroad and over 40% of French citizens who live overseas vote in elections that are held in their home country. We can learn from the French if they experience difficulties or technical hitches with their online voting and we have plenty of time to do so as the presidential election here is six years away.

Again, I thank the Taoiseach for his commitment to the Irish diaspora and his ongoing determination to ensure that Ireland continues to grow both economically and socially as an independent nation at the heart of Europe.