Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will engage in discussions on the plight of Irish immigrants of long-standing residency in the United States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9434/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Supporting Irish communities abroad is a priority for this Government. Since 2004 my Department has allocated almost €70 million to Irish community organisations throughout the world through the Emigrant Support Programme. A significant portion of this funding, including some €5 million in 2009, was used to support our emigrant community in the United States.

Funding is prioritised to promote the welfare of the most vulnerable sections of Irish communities abroad, including the elderly and our undocumented citizens in the United States.

Last year, a total of $2.73 million was provided under the Emigrant Support Programme to organisations directly involved in the provision of support to elderly and other vulnerable Irish emigrants in the US. This included a grant of $25,000 for the New York Senior Helpline Project which is a collaborative initiative of the Aisling Irish Centre, the Emerald Isle Immigration Centre and the New York Irish Centre, and aims to address the social isolation experienced by many elderly Irish emigrants in the US.

In addition, significant capital grants have been given over recent years to support the development of infrastructural community facilities in San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Last year's funding also included grants to the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) and the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform. Finding a solution for our undocumented citizens in the United States continues to be an important priority for this Government.

The issue has featured in a significant way in my recent contacts with the US Administration and members of Congress, including during my meeting with Secretary of State Clinton in Dublin last October, and during my visit to Washington and New York on 14-17 October when I held extensive discussions on the prospect for progress on immigration reform with a significant number of key Democrats and Republicans in Congress. I also discuss the matter on a regular basis with Ambassador Rooney.

There remains considerable support among key political figures in the United States for efforts to find a solution for the Irish undocumented and for a new reciprocal two year renewable visa scheme, known as the E3 visa. However, it has been made clear to us that the undocumented can only be provided for through comprehensive immigration reform.

Supporters of reform had hoped that a comprehensive bill, which would address the concerns of the undocumented, would be introduced and make progress in Congress early this year. However, the outcome of the recent senate election in Massachusetts, the ongoing effort to pass health care legislation and the forthcoming mid-term elections, could combine to complicate the political prospects for the early passage of immigration reform.

Our Embassy in Washington continues to maintain very close contact with the Administration and key contacts in Congress to ensure that Irish interests are considered as part of the ongoing debate over immigration reform. The issue will also be raised by the Taoiseach and I during our St Patrick's Day visit to the United States.