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(Speaker Continuing)
[Deputy Helen McEntee:   ] Last year these projects received €1.4 million in emigrant support programme funding.
Legal advice on the implications of policy developments for undocumented Irish citizens in the US, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has been disseminated by immigration centres in the United States and is available online. We should not, however, underestimate the size of the challenge. This policy area has been a deeply divisive issue within the US political system for decades, with pronounced disagreement, even within the same political parties, on the best way to deal with a problem which directly affects over 11 million people.
The Government has always tried to work with both parties in a bipartisan way to address our longstanding concerns and this continues to be our approach. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade is in New York this week, where he will meet representatives of the four Irish immigration centres in the region and a representative of the US-wide Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers. The Minister will also meet a senior State Department official, and will use that opportunity to once again impress on the US administration the importance the Irish Government attaches to a resolution of the plight of the undocumented Irish.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The Minister will also travel to Washington DC next month for high-level meetings with members of Congress. The plight of the undocumented Irish will be on the agenda for these meetings. In addition, the Taoiseach raised the issue when he spoke with President Trump by phone shortly after taking office.
The recent appointment by the Taoiseach of Deputy John Deasy as the Government’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress to work for the undocumented Irish was an important statement of our intent and seriousness on this issue. Deputy Deasy has made two substantive visits since his appointment - one at the end of July and the other at the beginning of September. In Washington DC, he met senior political contacts from both sides of the aisle and has engaged with Irish community and political representatives in New York and Boston. He remains in continuing contact with the embassy in Washington and with officials of the Departments of the Taoiseach and of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
In light of all this activity, I can, therefore, assure the Deputy of the Government’s continued commitment to pursuing these matters on behalf of our affected citizens in the US.
Deputy Darragh O'Brien: I am very aware this is not an easy nut to crack and that successive Governments and Ministers have tried to do so. In light of the most recent deportations from the United States, and the attack on sanctuary cities by President Trump and others in his Cabinet, the Irish community there, particularly those who are undocumented, are very fearful. I have welcomed the appointment of Deputy Deasy. He is a person with experience in the United States.
We must look at a fresh approach to this. We must put options and proposals to the US administration and look at it on a bilateral basis. These are measures we proposed previously when we were in Washington. We should not give up just because there is a new President who is on record as being very firmly against emigration. We need to redouble our efforts. I congratulate the new ambassador, H.E. Dan Mulhall, on his appointment to Washington DC, and I hope he will keep this at the top of his agenda. There must be a pathway to legal migration and we can find it. We are consistently told about the high standing Ireland has in the United States and we need to see some action in this regard. I hope the Department looks at a fresh approach and will give options to the US and proposals to its administration on how we might move towards resolving the matter.
Deputy Helen McEntee: The Deputy is right this needs to be a priority and remain a priority for the Irish Government. When the Taoiseach spoke to President Trump this was an issue he raised. As the Deputy mentioned, the appointment of Deputy Deasy is significant. He has already made two substantive visits since his appointment. One of them was at the end of July and one was at the beginning of September. He has met senior political contacts from both sides of the aisle. He has engaged with the Irish community and political representatives in New York and Boston, and he remains in continued contact with the embassy in Washington and officials at the Department of the Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs and Trade. The ongoing presence of Irish Ministers and officials and their engagement means this very much firmly remains on the agenda.
What the Department is doing at present for the undocumented is also important, and given what has happened in the past year with the election of a new President there was renewed fear among those living there. One of the embassy's immediate priorities is to ensure undocumented citizens and their families have access to clear and accurate information on possible changes that may happen or that they might expect to impact them. To this end, additional funding has been made available to the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers to produce a fact sheet to ensure citizens are accurately informed of the recent changes in US immigration law and how they might be affected. Obviously, they are staying in touch with their local consulate and immigration centre to ensure that where necessary they can consult with an immigration lawyer on their particular circumstances.
Deputy Darragh O'Brien: The Minister of State mentioned ministerial visits and Deputy Deasy has been there twice. I hope he is being given the resources to back up his efforts. One glaring issue we need to deal with is consistent engagement between the Oireachtas and the House of Representatives and the Senate in the United States. This was a criticism levelled at us a number of years ago. The last time the foreign affairs committee went to Washington DC was six years ago. There is a peer to peer gap with regard to building up the Irish caucus in the House of Representatives and the Senate. This is not something that can be done purely by diplomats or our embassy. It is always done better between peers, namely, the elected members of two sovereign parliaments. Not enough of this is happening. It cannot just be left to Ministers. It needs a concerted effort by the Dáil and the Seanad to look at how we can keep this at the top of the US legislators' agenda also.
Deputy Helen McEntee: Deputy Deasy will work under the overall direction of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister of State, Deputy Ciaran Cannon. He will work closely with, and will be supported by, the recently appointed Irish ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dan Mulhall, as well as the embassy of Ireland in Washington DC and our consulates throughout the United States. The Deputy is right to state this will not happen just through meetings and the more contacts and communications we can build up the more we can press this issue. We do not know the exact number of Irish people there, but we know this is something that impacts thousands of Irish people and it is a priority for the Irish Government.
Question No. 14 replied to with Written Answers.
Question No. 15 answered with Question No. 12.
Human Rights
16. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will condemn the violence and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar; the action he plans to take to hold the Government of Myanmar to account and stop this humanitarian crisis; and his views on a call for the freedom of Dublin city to be stripped from Aung San Suu Kyi. [39696/17]
17. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the recent human rights violations of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar; and if Ireland will condemn these actions. [39832/17]
18. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts being made at international and EU level to end the violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar; the efforts made to protect the Rohingya people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39702/17]
21. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has been in contact with his counterparts in Europe to condemn the treatment of the Rohingya people in Myanmar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39875/17]
22. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has contacted Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and the Government of Myanmar to protest at the treatment of the Rohingya people of Myanmar; if he will request an immediate cessation of the attacks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39699/17]
25. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the violence that is being inflicted on the Rohingya minority in Myanmar; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the UN and NGOs have documented massive human rights abuses and that the violence is likely to constitute ethnic cleansing; if he will speak out against this ethnic cleansing; and if Ireland is providing assistance to Rohingya refugees who have fled over the border to Bangladesh. [39766/17]
32. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will condemn the human rights abuses against the Muslim Rohingya people of Myanmar and call on the political authorities there to take immediate steps to end the violence against the Rohingya people and provide humanitarian aid to prevent further harm. [39695/17]
41. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he directly or together with the EU and-or the UN has sought to influence positively the situation in Myanmar, with particular reference to the immediate cessation of violence and-or ethnic cleansing; if the UN has been requested to intervene; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39851/17]
42. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the plight of the Rohingya people in Myanmar; and his further views on the way Ireland can assist in addressing the inhumane treatment of the Rohingya. [39821/17]
Deputy Joan Collins: Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade condemn the violence and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar? What action does he plan to take to hold the Government of Myanmar to account and stop this humanitarian crisis? What are his views on a call for the freedom of Dublin city to be stripped from Aung San Suu Kyi?
An Ceann Comhairle: The Minister of State will respond, after which we will go to other Members if we have time.
Deputy Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 18, inclusive, 21, 22, 25, 32, 41 and 42 together.
The Government condemns the violence has taken place in Rakhine State. This includes the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, and the excessive actions which the Myanmar security forces have undertaken in response. It is imperative that an end is brought to this violence. I reiterate that it is essential that any further security operations carried out by the security forces in Myanmar are in line with international human rights obligations.
The reports of human rights violations by the security forces in Rakhine State are deeply troubling. Along with other EU member states, Ireland has supported the establishment and extension of the mandate of a UN fact finding mission in order to establish the facts of the situation on the ground. During an interactive dialogue at the Human Rights Council on 19 September, we continued to urge the Government of Myanmar to enable access to the team and to co-operate fully with it. The Government is raising its concerns through our bilateral contacts with the Government of Myanmar and in the context of our EU membership. Ireland's embassy in Bangkok, which is accredited to Myanmar-Burma, is monitoring the situation closely. Ireland fully aligns with recent statements by High Representative Vice-President Mogherini, in which she called for an end to the violence and for humanitarian access to be brought to those in need. The concerns of the EU have also been expressed directly to the Government of Myanmar. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is liaising closely with other EU partners at official level in Brussels, Yangon and UN fora to contribute to the EU response to this issue.
In addition, Ireland continues to monitor this protracted humanitarian situation closely and may allocate additional humanitarian assistance in the coming months, in line with humanitarian needs.
An Ceann Comhairle: Only three minutes remain. I will take three very quick supplementary questions.
Deputy Joan Collins: I have a number of questions I wish to put to the Minister of State. This issue is not something that started only three or four weeks ago. We know it has been going on for centuries. The Rohingya are not recognised and are treated in a disgraceful way. Since 2012, when the violence started, 500,000 Rohingya people were already in Bangladesh. This is on top of the 400,000 who moved over the border in the past two weeks. Why do we supply Myanmar with humanitarian assistance to aid the people of Rakhine, including the Rohingya community, when they are being treated like this? Why is the Government supplying guns to the Myanmar generals and army? We should call for this to be stopped. Does the Minister of State, the Minister and their party support the call for the freedom of Dublin city to be stripped from Aung San Suu Kyi? |
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