Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address Seanad Éireann on the theme of integration. The integration of newcomers is perhaps one of the most important social issues this country will face over the next few decades. Ireland must respond in a planned and effective manner to the challenges and opportunities that inward migration and integration bring.

We must work to ensure an intercultural society where the different cultures speak to each other, listen and ultimately enrich each other in the context of a common aspiration to promote the welfare and values of a new Irish society. We know this is not an easy task. The experience of our European colleagues bear witness to the difficulties of achieving successful integration and the implications of not achieving that success. Compared with other countries, we have had only a short time to come to grips with this very complex area. In some ways, however, we are very lucky. We have the opportunity to examine integration policies in other member states of the European Union and to learn from them. Most importantly following that, we must forge our own path and develop a unique approach tailored to Ireland's situation and distinct experience.

Our country continues to be transformed by immigrants from all over the world. We are enriched by the variety of cultures, languages and traditions these newcomers bring. Immigration has been a positive experience for us and the newcomers have brought much needed skills and strong work ethics that have helped to build on our economic success. So much contribution has been made in so many sectors that these workers have helped to develop our status as a wealthy nation. Areas such as business, construction, manufacturing, health and hospitality have particularly benefited from migrant labour.

Integration cannot be taken for granted and we must consider how best we can support each migrant to make the greatest possible contribution to our society and economy and help him or her to integrate. We all must work to ensure migrant workers are treated fairly and that they are protected from exploitation, given their vulnerability. We must see our migrants as more than workers as they are not just units of the labour market. I recall a remark made by a Swiss writer who spoke about experience in Germany: "We asked for workers, but instead we got people." This gets to the very heart of the issues of integration. There is obviously a dynamic contribution that migrants may make to the labour market and the development of our net national wealth. They are also people, however, and like the Irish, they travel in great hope and expectation. The Irish, when they emigrated to other countries, did so from a country that was then a failure in economic terms. These people have a similar experience in their own countries, and primarily that is one reason among many they choose to come to Ireland.

Migration has brought with it anti-racist, diversity management and integration issues. Planning for and managing a diverse society is not a process that has a beginning and an end. It is a living process and one which needs to be driven by a sense of what is good for everybody. There is no reason we cannot achieve an inclusive society where everyone is assured of respect for his or her identity.

The national action plan against racism, Planning for Diversity, is in place for the period 2005 to 2008 and is an ambitious, forward-looking strategy. The emphasis throughout the plan is on the accommodation of diversity through reasonable and common sense strategies that have the potential to receive broad support across society. The national action plan seeks to take into account the significant economic, social and cultural changes which have taken place in society in recent years and which continue, with the most recent census in 2006 showing that there has been a significant broadening of national and religious diversity in Ireland. The Central Statistics Office latest household survey for the third quarter of 2007 indicates that the number of non-Irish nationals accounts for more than 12% of the population and immigrant workers account for almost 15% of the workforce. This is a dynamic and changing trend. It is so dynamic in the modern age because of low air fares and cheap travel across Europe. It means that figures and statistics can change within a month.

As we saw, 40,000 workers lost their jobs in the construction sector in August. However, the follow-on labour surveys did not show an increase of 40,000 on the live register or in the unemployment figures. The reason was a great many of the people who lost their jobs in August simply went home, to Poland in many cases where a minor infrastructural boom is under way. That is how dynamic migration is in Europe. We need to have a strong research-led approach which guarantees we are getting the information we need in timely fashion and that the research we conduct is not lagging behind the reality.

It has been recognised that harnessing this change before it becomes problematic is what will differentiate our success from failure. The national action plan has sought to harness changes and direct energy from this into positive diversity management programmes. Since its inception almost three years ago, the national action plan has provided practical solutions and anticipated potential racism, diversity and integration issues where possible. Much has been achieved in the short time since the plan was launched and it has assisted with the development of a number of effective and strategic programmes.

The issue of integration is being taken very seriously by the Government, and we are actively working to ensure the transition can become a positive experience for Irish and newcomer alike. We are committed to social cohesion and this has been given a new political focus through my appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for integration. My office has been given a cross-departmental mandate to develop, drive and co-ordinate integration policy across other Departments, agencies and services. It will be involved in the development of a long-term national policy on integration informed by widespread consultation at a national level.

Stakeholder consultation is critical to successful integration. The process of consultation with NGOs and key stakeholders has already begun. Two major conferences on developing integration policy were held in 2007, one in February with the follow-up workshop held on 6 December. Our theme for this recent conference which was held in Croke Park was "Towards an Integrated Society — the chance to get it right". These conferences proved to be useful consultative mechanisms where the voices and opinions of immigrants could be heard and listened to. Importantly, they state they are ready, willing and committed to participate in a new Irish society.

Alongside these, I have plans to establish a range of other consultative structures. As I already announced, I intend to establish a task force on integration in 2008 to identify key issues affecting immigrant communities. This will consult widely with the immigrant and indigenous populations, visit communities, examine previous research and report back with specific practical and implementable recommendations for the medium to long term development of policy which must be introduced now rather than later.