Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's current Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025 pledges to monitor barriers to returning emigrants and undertakes to adopt measures to remove them where possible, as well as to improve the provision of information to our communities abroad on returning to Ireland.

To this end, my Department engages on an ongoing basis with other Government Departments and agencies as well as with a broad range of organisations, both in Ireland and overseas, to support returning Irish citizens and their families.

These partner organisations include Crosscare and Safe Home, both of which receive funding from the Government’s Emigrant Support Programme.

The 2024 Emigrant Support Programme (ESP) grant round will open for applications this month, with an initial budget allocation of €15.395 million, the highest ever. This is very fitting, as we prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the programme.

My Department also funds the very successful Back for Business initiative, which provides peer guidance to Irish entrepreneurs who have returned, or plan to return, to Ireland. Numerous people have benefitted from this initiative since 2019. The call for applications for the seventh round of Back for Business closed on 15 January 2024.

In addition, my Department also funds the Citizens Information Board, which provides practical and comprehensive information to those intending to return to Ireland.

As Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, I chair the Interdepartmental Committee on the Irish Abroad, and one of that Committee’s core responsibilities is to address issues which are particular to Irish people abroad who are seeking to return to Ireland.

I can assure the Deputy that our commitment to assist returning emigrants remains strong, as evidenced by the foregoing, and that we will continue to do all we can in this area to make their return as straightforward as possible.