Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his proposal for an on-line database for illegal Irish emigrants living in the United States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18649/05]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his proposals for an on-line database for illegal Irish emigrants living in the United States; the reason there is such a conflict between US and Irish Government estimates concerning the actual number of illegal Irish emigrants living and working in the United States; his views on whether such a database is a workable proposal; if his attention has been drawn to opposition to the plan from Irish emigrant lobby groups in the US; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18499/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 102 together.

There is no firm figure for the number of undocumented Irish emigrants in the United States. There are a number of estimates, including a figure of 3,000 by the US authorities for the year 2000. This seems to the Irish immigration centres to be a very low figure. More recently, a figure of 50,000 has been mentioned in some quarters but this is probably too high. In an overall statistical context, the numbers of Irish undocumented are not significant, given that the total number of undocumented is believed to be over 9 million, of whom the overwhelming majority are Hispanic.

The Taoiseach and I had a very positive discussion on immigration reform with President Bush on St. Patrick's Day. Following this, I asked my officials to look again at ways of getting a more precise sense of the size of our undocumented population, including the possibility of setting up an on-line database for this purpose. However, the widespread view was that our undocumented would be very unlikely to register on a database. I can understand this and remain open to any further suggestions which may assist.

I would again like warmly to commend the role and work of the immigration centres in the US, in particular the support, information and advice which they make available to our communities there. Funding from my Department to these organisations increased by 83% last year. I am pleased that, given the substantial increase in funding secured for emigrant services in 2005, I will be in a position to grant even more support to them this year.

On the broader front, there has been some positive progress on immigration reform. In a significant development on 12 May, Senators McCain and Kennedy, in cooperation with several of their colleagues in the House of Representatives, published a Bill which would grant undocumented people an opportunity to regularise their status. I warmly welcome this important, timely and very positive contribution to advancing the debate on this sensitive issue. Our priority in the period ahead will be to lobby strongly in support of the Kennedy and McCain Bill, and to encourage the White House to become actively involved in the immigration reform process.