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asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the way in which the recent increase in the visa allocation in the United States will affect applications in this country; and the steps, if any, he is taking to help out-of-status immigrants in the United States.
36.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will take measures to reactivate the Kennedy-Simpson Bill in the Congress in the United States following the election.
49.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he is taking to help the out-of-status Irish people in America.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 36 and 49 together.
This Government has given a very high priority to helping to improve the situation of our newly arrived emigrants in the US, in particular those who are undocumented. We have focused on two principal areas of action.
In the first place we have actively supported proposals to amend US legislation to improve the situation for those who are in the US at the present time and also for those who might decide to emigrate legally to the US in the future. I am happy to report that last month a Bill passed the US Congress, which should soon be signed into law by the President, which will considerably increase the possibilities for our citizens to emigrate legally to the US. This Bill, the Immigration Amendments Bill, provides for
—an extension of the "Donnelly" visa scheme under which 15,000 extra visas will be made available in each of the years 1989 and 1990. These 30,000 additional visas will be allocated to those who applied under the original scheme in January of last year;
—a new scheme under which 10,000 extra visas will be made available in each of the years 1990 and 1991 to applicants from countries, including Ireland, which receive a small share of immigrant visas under current legislation.
We expect that these measures will provide significant new opportunities — perhaps as high as 25,000 extra visas — for Irish citizens in the coming two to three years.
When the new Congress reconvenes in the New Year we will continue to explore further with our friends in Congress the question of long-term structural change to the immigration legislation. I am sure that the House will join me in paying tribute to the efforts of Senators Ted Kennedy and Alan Simpson, Congressman Brian Donnelly and to our other friends in the US Congress for their important role in the success of this legislation.
In addition to these legislative reforms the Government have taken steps to alleviate the immediate problems of out-of-status Irish citizens in the US by action in the welfare and advisory areas. We have set up immigration working committees under the auspices of our Consulates General in New York, Boston and San Francisco, consisting of representatives of the main groups dealing with new Irish arrivals and of the city and church authorities, to co-ordinate activities in the immigration area. We have appointed an immigration liaison officer to the consulate in New York. We have extended the advisory services provided by our other consulates. We have had discussions with city and church authorities in New York, Boston and San Francisco who have introduced and developed programmes for illegal emigrants in those cities.
I am satisfied that we now have in place a network of services which go a considerable distance towards alleviating the day-to-day problems encountered by our emigrants in the United States. I can assure the House that the Government will continue to press for reform and to develop measures of real help to our young people overseas.
That is a history of what has happened and it is familiar to most of us in the House. Of course, we join with the Minister in thanking the Irish American politicians for helping to get the latest legislation through the House, but it does not answer the question. The Taoiseach in March 1987 and the Tánaiste in September 1987 made specific promises to the undocumented Irish in New York and Boston that they would do everything in their power to help to change their status. What have they done? I know all about the consulates that have been set up and all about the Donnelly visas but that does not help to change their status.
I am sure the House will agree that when Deputy Barry gets an opportunity to study my lengthy reply to his original question he will be more than appreciative of the efforts of the Government in achieving what they have achieved to date. We again thank those with whom we worked——
They did not fulfil their promises to date.
——in the Congress in Washington and those involved in this area in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the church and city authorities in the different cities in the United States, for their tremendous help.
That is true but it does nothing to change, as promised, the status of those who are in America illegally.
Order, order. The Chair is seeking to dispose of two remaining Priority Questions, Nos. 50 and 52. I am calling Question No. 50 now in the name of Deputy Geraldine Kennedy. The time factor is against me.
