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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 May 1977

Vol. 299 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish Immigrants.

15.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the financial assistance, if any, the Government gives to Irish immigrants in the United Kingdom; and the disposal of such moneys to the various agencies.

16.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if it is his intention to make any grants to the Irish Centre, Camden Town, London; and, if not, why.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 16 together.

The total annual cost to the Exchequer of financial assistance given to Irish immigrants in Britain is at present approximately £2,308,000. The disposal of these moneys is not made through any agency but rather through the Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Labour and our Embassy in London.

The overall figure is allocated as follows:

An estimated £2,236,000 will be paid this year by the Department of Social Welfare to beneficiaries in the United Kingdom, most of whom are Irish emigrants, under Irish social security legislation and EEC regulations.

The Department of Labour provides a scheme under which payments of allowances and expenses are made to workers to facilitate their moving from Britain to take up employment in Ireland. The cost is expected to amount to £45,000 during 1977. The same Department also will give grants of £5,000 this year to emigrant bureaux which provide information and advisory services for intending emigrants.

The Embassy in London operates a scheme for the repatriation from Britain to Ireland of Irish citizens who are regarded as being in need of repatriation. Expenditure under this scheme amounts to about £1,000 a year. The Embassy also generally concerns itself with the welfare of Irish emigrants in the United Kingdom and two officers in the Embassy are involved virtually full time on this work. The annual cost of maintaining these two officers in the Embassy is of the order of £21,000.

Concerning the Irish Centre, Camden Town, London, the Government are not in a position to make a grant to the centre having regard to present budgetary and financial considerations. However, the question of extra assistance towards the employment of social workers generally in Britain is still under consideration.

The Parliamentary Secretary is aware that the British Government have made a substantial grant to the Irish Centre in Camden Town, and would he not consider in the circumstances that the Irish Government should match that allocation pound for pound? On the matter of the disposal of the moneys in excess of £2 million, allocated to the Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Labour and the Irish Embassy, is that spent in Britain?

Yes. It is paid by the Department of Social Welfare, not the Department of Labour. That is a separate, much smaller sum. The sum of £2,236,000 will be paid by the Department of Social Welfare to the beneficiaries in the UK.

People are entitled to it.

Apart from the moneys that are allocated in the ordinary way, the purport of my question was to ensure that centres like the Irish Centre in Camden Town will receive financial assistance. The Parliamentary Secretary will, I am sure, have received some weeks ago the memorandum from Fr. Cagney of the Irish Centre there setting out the very serious circumstances in which they find themselves, and it is our people, after all——

Order. A question, Deputy Andrews. The Deputy is embarking upon a speech.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that in regard to some of our people who go to London and other areas in Britain destitute, the people working in the Irish Centre are doing a magnificent job on our behalf? It appears to me to be unfair that they are not receiving assistance and recognition.

I am bound to accept what the Deputy says about the work done by this centre and other centres, and ideally I am sure the Minister would wish that we would match pound for pound, and perhaps more than that, what is being done by the authorities in Britain. I can only repeat that the present financial considerations make it impossible, this year anyway so far as can be seen, to do anything for the centre.

Could I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to make it clear that the social welfare payments referred to are not the payments that are made to contributory old age pensioners, invalidity pensioners and disability benefit recipients?

The only information I have is about the payments dispensed by the Department of Social Welfare and they are under our social security legislation and the EEC regulations. That makes up by far the largest part of the money we spend on Irish emigrants.

One is under the impression that is not.

I am not anxious to give any false impression. I will concede that is given in the existing regulations which oblige and bind us.

Question No. 17.

One final——

I have called the next question.

A final question.

I have given Deputy Andrews plenty of latitude.

Has the Parliamentary Secretary met with these people at all? I understand they were over here some time ago.

No, I have not.

Did he receive a copy of the memo?

I cannot say if the Minister has received the memo. It is not on the file.

I will let the Parliamentary Secretary have a copy of the memo.

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