Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 264: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has made progress in relation to trying to legalise Irish persons working in the United States of America; if discussions have taken place in this regard; and if the Government is actively trying to procure an amnesty for Irish people living illegally in the US, particularly those who have lived in the US for many years. [4530/04]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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In recent weeks, two proposals aimed at helping to regularise the situation of undocumented foreign nationals in the United States have been put forward.

On 7 January, President Bush announced a proposal to introduce a new form of temporary work permit which would be available to both undocumented foreign nationals currently in the US and those seeking to enter with a job already arranged. Shortly afterwards, Senator Tom Daschle and Senator Chuck Hagel announced a bipartisan plan for immigration reform that would enable undocumented foreign nationals in the US to legalise their status if they fulfilled certain conditions.

I welcome both of these proposals as constructive efforts to deal with the situation of the undocumented in the US in a constructive and sympathetic way. While there appears to be no prospect of a formal amnesty for the undocumented at the present time, the Daschle-Hagel proposal in particular appears to offer undocumented Irish people an opportunity to obtain permanent legal residency.

I will monitor the progress of these proposals through the US Congress closely. Through our embassy in Washington and through my own contacts with political leaders in the US, I will continue to encourage and support measures that would benefit undocumented Irish citizens in the US.