Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish, first of all, to reassure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to finding a solution to the plight of the thousands of undocumented Irish citizens resident in the United States.

With this in mind, the Government continues to avail of all opportunities to raise US immigration reform and the status of the undocumented Irish with the US administration and with contacts on Capitol Hill.

The Government will also avail of the opportunity to raise the issue during the course of forthcoming ministerial visits to the United States over the St. Patrick’s Day period.

Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, working both here and in the US, are engaged on this important issue on an ongoing basis and are always on the alert for any new initiatives that might be under consideration.

The Deputy will appreciate, however, given the political sensitivities involved, that it would not always be in our interest, nor in the interests of the undocumented Irish, to speak on the record about any particular initiatives that might be under way at any given time.

Officials from the Irish Embassy in DC have been working closely with Deputy John Deasy in his role as the Government’s Special Envoy on the Undocumented, and they also remain in regular contact with Ireland’s friends in the Administration and on Capitol Hill.

I can assure the Deputy that officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, both here and in Washington, D.C., will, under my direction, continue to give priority to this issue, mindful of its importance to the thousands of undocumented and to their families in Ireland.