Conor Murphy (Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I had intended to ask to share time with Senator Chris Andrews, but I presume that will not be necessary. The Senator will have sufficient time to make his own contribution, not that I intend to take up too much of the Minister of State's time.

I very much welcome the Minister of State's contribution and the emphasis he put on the commitment the Government has given in respect of continuing to provide overseas development assistance and to fund various projects to the level they are currently being funded.That is particularly so when sources of funding like USAID and others are being withdrawn, which is not only having a devastating effect on many aid agencies across the world but is also allowing other actors to come into that space who are not necessarily as genuinely motivated as we would like to think we are in that regard. The Minister of State spoke about the values of this country and our intent in relation to the work we do overseas. That is recognised. It has a long history that I daresay goes back to my fellow villager and Camlough man, Frank Aiken, and his work in establishing that position of Ireland at the United Nations and our ongoing commitment to being a neutral actor in these matters.

We have seen very clearly with USAID and with other aid that might be made available to people that it comes with issues and strings attached. The importance of us continuing to do that work, particularly in the areas the Minister of State outlined such as humanitarian areas and the protection of women, is crucially important, along with the focus on the global south. As Senator Ahearn said, as regards the issues that are thrown up by the challenges of immigration, particularly in Europe but also in the United States in relation to South America, the best investment that can possibly be made is in ensuring people do not feel the need, either because of economic or climate circumstances, to make a long, dangerous and arduous trek to somewhere where they can find relief, only to then find that the welcome of the countries they are trying to get to is less than forthcoming, particularly in the case of European countries that have colonised and stripped the assets of the countries those people are leaving. Our commitment in terms of the continued amount we are intending to give to that, along with the values we bring, is important. I agree with the point we should continue to urge other countries to step up in that regard, because if people genuinely want to solve issues of climate change and economic migration, investment in those countries where people are suffering the most hardship is clearly the way to do it.

It would be remiss of me not to reference the diaspora, the other element of the Minister of State's brief, though it was not a subject in his statement. I had the benefit over the past two weeks of travelling around Australia on behalf of a delegation from Sinn Féin. It was during the week before Hallowe'en and the week of recess. We spent time in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra and the Irish connection there is so strong. Australia is probably as far away as you can get for an Irish diaspora, but its connection to home is really strong. This trip occurred at the time of the presidential election and there was huge interest in what was going on back home. In that sense, and given the advertising campaign the Government has engaged in, with the catchline “You built Sydney; come back and build Ireland”, and the desire to get people to come home, it was not lost on people and was remarked on to us by quite a few people that they are not allowed to vote in a presidential election. People want them home and they value them as the diaspora, as Irish citizens living abroad, but yet many other countries - a huge number - across the world facilitate their citizens voting in presidential and other elections and that that was not available to them. I welcome the sentiment of hoping people will return, and we all hope people will return. There is a new country to be built here in the time ahead. I have always encouraged young people to travel and get the experiences and benefits of being abroad, but to come back home and assist in building the new Ireland that lies ahead. In terms of our immediate economic needs we need many people to come back.

Many of the same issues were raised with us in that conversation. I had the opportunity to meet people at a political level, both at state and federal level, and to talk to our own diplomats, who are doing excellent work with our new ambassador and consul general in Sydney. I talked to people in the GAA clubs, in the diaspora, in trade unions and in business, all Irish people who have been very successful in Australia, and the same issues kept arising, one of which was housing. The ability to come back and have their own home is the biggest single barrier in people’s minds to returning. There are practical things that can be done and I ask the Minister of State to examine some of these. For instance, there is the issue of healthcare staff who go and practise in Australia and their ability to transfer that experience when they come home, the ability of a person to say they have seven years’ experience working in a healthcare setting and they would like to see those qualifications and that experience recognised. People in a whole range of professions, not just healthcare, told us they come back and basically start at square one. Dealing with that would be a practical step. If we want to encourage people to come home, we need much more than billboards. We need to take practical steps in terms of the issues they are raising with us. Other issues that arose were driving licence exchange, housing challenges - an obvious one - visas for non-Irish spouses and partners, and education and third level fees for children of Irish-born citizens. These are all barriers to people returning home.

The sentiment is correct. The visit coincided with the presidential election, which was an obvious sore point for a lot of Irish citizens abroad and their inability to participate in the political life of the country, yet there is a desire on the part of the Government to have many of them return home. In a political and practical sense, there are many issues that can be addressed to make that aspiration something which has a level of practical support rather than an expressed desire on behalf of the Government.