Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a great pleasure to be back in the Seanad. It is great to have at least one familiar face from my own time here, a man who was never so happy as when he saw me leave the labour panel, Senator Joe O'Reilly, who called for this debate. I an grateful to the Senator, the Leader and the Deputy Leader for providing time for it. This is a good time of year to take stock of our relationship with the diaspora. I will go into that in a little detail when we talk about it later in the debate.

It would be remiss of me to start this debate without taking a brief moment to remember our dearly missed friend, the former Senator Billy Lawless, who I and Senator O'Reilly sat with in this Chamber for over four years. Many Senators will know of Billy's outstanding work as an advocate on behalf of the Irish in the US but also on behalf of the Irish Americans in this House. He certainly touched many hearts and minds in his contributions. A big, strong man and a stoic Galway man, I know Billy is sorely missed by his family in Galway and Chicago. He is really missed by the Irish American community in particular. I had the pleasure of travelling to Chicago and being hosted by Billy twice and meeting so many different people. His was not necessarily the typical emigrant story. He went out much later in life when his children were grown. He went for a sense of opportunity and, boy, did he take every opportunity. His success in business was only matched by his success in advocacy. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

I am deeply honoured to have been appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for international development and the diaspora. Like many of those present, I have experienced the impact of family and friends moving abroad. I moved abroad in my 20s. I gained invaluable experience while living in Belgium where I learned a huge amount. At the time, my late mother knew only of people leaving Ireland to rarely ever return. Her memory was of my uncle, who, thank God, is still with us, getting the boat to England and that was that. They may have seen each other once a year. Telephone calls and letters were far more expensive at the time. People did not really come back. Little did my mother know that I would be home practically every month, if not every fortnight. Indeed, my emigrant adventure failed after two years, such a homebird am I.

We all have friends and family members who have moved to places perhaps not as close as Brussels, London, Birmingham, Glasgow or Edinburgh or in times when communication was not that obvious. We know of the void that exists when someone we are used to having around the table or in the living room is now only a face on FaceTime. While my experience as someone who left these shores for a relatively brief time brought wonderful opportunities in the context of this debate, I also understand the challenges of starting a life in a new country. I will bring these experiences to my new role. Equally, I will seek to lean on this House and the other House to glean Members' experiences, lived, familial and otherwise.

As we speak today, a myriad of St. Patrick's Day celebrations are kicking off around the world. In the days and weeks ahead, Irish people and friends of Ireland will gather to celebrate that very unique thing that is Irishness. At the heart the celebrations are our diaspora. Reflecting a modern and diverse Ireland, I will ensure that we continue to take a broad and inclusive definition of our diaspora. This will include Irish-born citizens and those whose parents and grandparents were born on this island, the millions of Irish heritage or descent and our affinity diaspora, such as those who once lived, studied or worked here and those who hold a deep appreciation for our people and culture.

The programme for Government commits to delivering a new diaspora strategy. The world, Ireland and migration in general have changed since our last strategy was launched in 2020. Over the course of this year, I will host engagements with a number of diaspora communities across the world so we can better understand these changes and deliver a strategy that meets the evolving needs of long-standing emigrants and newer departees. I already met representatives of the Irish community in London, Birmingham and Coventry recently, and I will meet members of our community in Nairobi next Tuesday during my St. Patrick's Day visit. I also look forward to meeting people in the coming weeks and months in Paris, Brussels and some more far-flung destinations going forward. I also look forward to engaging with all Members of the Oireachtas and other stakeholders on this island.

In order that we hear from as many voices as possible, I will launch an online consultation before the summer. While we work on delivering a new strategy, we also remain focused on strengthening the ties with our diaspora. Underpinning this work is the emigrant support programme. Since it began in 2004, the programme has granted more than €250 million to 900 organisations in 51 countries. This year, the Department of Foreign Affairs will allocate €16.5 million under the emigrant support programme. Caring for the most vulnerable Irish emigrants remains at the heart of our programme. The majority of the funding, some 60%, is granted to the front-line welfare service providers working without elderly Irish emigrants and others who are marginalised. We support counselling and outreach services and projects that address social isolation and actively improve the well-being of Irish people.

Two weeks ago in England, I saw at first hand the vital work the emigrant support programme is funding. In Coventry, I visited a vibrant elders lunch club. In London and Birmingham, I heard the challenges facing young members of the Travelling community. I met groups providing dementia care and respite services, working with survivors of institutional abuse and supporting end-of-life care programmes. All of these programmes make a real difference every day and I pay tribute to all those who deliver them.

I also visited Páirc na hÉireann, the marvellous GAA facility in Solihull, home of the Warwickshire County Board. Indeed, I shared a flight with the Longford senior footballers coming home from London who nicked a one-point victory over London at the weekend. We all recognise the importance of the work the GAA does in support of our Irish emigrants. The Department's partnership with the GAA will remain key to our future engagement with the diaspora. In the US, we work with communities and a coalition of Irish immigration centres to support those impacted by changes in immigration policy. Earlier this year, we provided emergency grant assistance to support Irish families affected by the wildfires in California. I will continue to prioritise projects, such as those I mentioned, which place the welfare and care of our citizens abroad at their heart.

As well as caring for those in need, our engagement with the diaspora also forges valuable partnerships. Irish emigrants make contributions wherever they go, in politics, business and the arts. They are leaders in their communities and advocates for human rights, inclusion, peace and reconciliation. It would be remiss of me not to mention the chief of staff of the British Prime Minister who is from Macroom or the senator from Philadelphia whose dad left Glencolumbkille not so long ago.

We are blessed that many have also made remarkable contributions to Ireland. From the peace process to foreign direct investment, our diaspora has made a real difference. Its members have unique insights and perspectives, skills, access and influence. They have a voice to amplify what modern Ireland stands for. In London, I met a group of younger emigrants working in key sectors such as finance and technology. As I travel in my role, I look forward to meeting more of these young leaders because they have so much to offer their adopted homes and, very importantly, they are willing and committed to working with us. For our part, we have ensured the emigrant support programme continues to invest in projects that foster a sense of community, nurture our identity and culture overseas and deepen our trade, business and education links.

The programme for Government makes a specific commitment to facilitate emigrants looking to return home. The Department of Foreign Affairs-funded Returning to Ireland portal on the Citizens Information Board website has a wealth of practical and administrative information. I encourage anyone considering returning to visit, and, more important, Senators who may be in contact with those among our diaspora who are highlighting issues or obstacles to returning home, to have a look there first and see what can be solved.

We have heard the calls to make it easier to exchange driving licences and get a PPS number while outside the country. I chaired a meeting of the interdepartmental committee on the Irish abroad just last week. The civil society members briefed the committee on the challenges faced by returning emigrants, particularly from the United States, due to difficulty in accessing Irish driving licences. It was positive to hear from the Department of Transport that Australian and a majority of Canadian licences can now be exchanged. The committee is now considering how best to engage with key US states. This is something I am very keen on progressing during my time in my new role. I assure Senators of this commitment. We will look at other EU member states. Germany, for example, has had success with up to seven US states. Likewise, work continues in the Department of Social Protection to facilitate access to PPS numbers for returning emigrants. Updates on these and other challenges will be standing items on the agenda at future meetings of the committee.

Under the Global Ireland strategy, our diplomatic footprint has expanded greatly. We have over 100 embassies and consulates, as well as 94 honorary consuls. As we face greater risks from conflict and environmental challenges, the missions remain an important safety net for our citizens resident overseas and a focal point for our diaspora engagement. We all know the convenience and efficiency the passport online service has had for our citizens at home and abroad. This award-winning service is now available to 99.9% of applicants. On Monday, I visited the Passport Office in Balbriggan, where I met with some of the 500 workers who are making sure this service continues to run efficiently and demand for foreign birth registration of citizenship by descent, which has increased, is also matched. Prior to the Brexit referendum, foreign birth registration applications averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 per year. However, over 40,000 applications were received in 2024, with over 50% of those coming from Great Britain. As we all know, there has also been increasing demand from the United States in recent weeks.

I relish the opportunity to develop a dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship with the global Irish. I know Senators share the same wish. I look forward to hearing their contributions. I want to get the message out that we want to engage with those in this House, those abroad and Senators' networks to make sure we can do the best for the Irish abroad in terms of their new lives abroad and, crucially, to make sure that every option is taken from a policy point of view to facilitate their return, should they choose to do so.