Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason a specific query asked in a previous parliamentary question (details supplied) was not responded to. [9349/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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In my reply of 28 February to the Deputy's question I emphasised that a particular priority of the Taoiseach's and my own visit to Washington over the St. Patrick's Day period would be to convey to President Bush and his Administration and key players in Congress the Government's strong support for measures to address the position of our undocumented. I am certain our undocumented citizens would share this priority.

As I conveyed in my reply of 28 February, I am acutely aware of the concerns of the undocumented, not least from my visits to the United States. These concerns are also conveyed through regular reports from the embassy and consulates, including of meetings with the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, ILIR. I have been happy to make a grant of €30,000 available to the ILIR which actively represents the interests of our undocumented. I very much hope to meet representatives of the ILIR during my visit to Washington. In addition to my earlier reply, I assume this envisaged meeting with the ILIR subsumes the sense of the Deputy's question.