Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The US J1 Summer Work and Travel programme has been a tremendously successful part of the Irish-US bilateral relationship for almost 50 years, with 150,000 Irish third level students taking the opportunity to experience life and work in the US over that time.

The Government does not have any role in administering the J-1 scheme, which is a programme of the US Department of State run by a number of not-for-profit US sponsoring bodies, who, in turn, work with commercial agencies here in Ireland.

Nevertheless, the Embassy of Ireland in Washington, DC, led by Ambassador Anne Anderson and her colleagues, are in on-going contact with the US State Department regarding the J1 cultural and educational exchange programme. Following my recent visit to the US, representatives of the State Department have held meetings with Irish officials in Washington to discuss the importance of the J1 programme in our relationship with the US.

In addition, officials from my Department are also in regular contact with the US Embassy in Dublin in relation to the J1 programme. As recently as 8 February, 2017, officials in my Department met with representatives of the US Embassy in Dublin – at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – to review the various options available to Irish participants in the J1 suite of programmes.

I am particularly conscious of the importance of the J1 Summer Work and Travel (SWT) option within the J1 programme, which continues to offer important learning opportunities to Irish students, to work and visit the US each summer. I can assure the Deputy of the Government’s commitment to the continued success of the J1 programme, which is an important component of our bilateral relationship with the United States.