Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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173. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps and actions that have been taken since the publication of the report on challenges being faced by returning Irish emigrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24679/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Since the publication of the Indecon Economic Report on Addressing Challenges Faced by Returning Irish Emigrants, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has undertaken a number of steps, in conjunction with other Government Departments and State Agencies, to address the thirty recommendations made in the report.

In the first instance my colleague the Minister of State for the Diaspora, Ciarán Cannon T.D., wrote to all Government Departments seeking their response to the report, and specifically to the recommendations in the report that fell within their areas of responsibility. Further updates were provided by respective Departments at the meeting of the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Irish Abroad chaired by Minister of State Cannon on 16th May at Government Buildings.

Minister of State Cannon has also recently met directly with the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor T.D. to discuss the education related recommendations that were made in the Indecon Report.

My Department has already implemented several of the Indecon Report’s recommendations in relation to information provision. An enhanced ‘Returning to Ireland’ section containing more information and advice for returning emigrants has been developed for our dedicated diaspora website, the Global Irish Hub. Officials are working closely with the Citizen’s Information Board to ensure that returning emigrants have the best information and advice possible to assist them in making the return back to Ireland.

Minister of State Cannon has also written to all motor insurance underwriters that operate in Ireland requesting information as to their approach, with a view to further information on motor insurance for returning emigrant drivers being made available, as recommended in the report.

It is my intention that a report will be made to Government on the progress made since the publication of the Indecon Report, in advance of the summer recess.