The welfare of the Irish abroad is a priority for the Government and I have raised the issue of immigration reform with Secretary of State Kerry in person and most recently in a letter where I set out Ireland’s concerns relating specifically to proposed amendments to the J1 visa and the renewal of Ireland’s working holiday agreement with the United States. In my letter, I expressed concerns that certain provisions of the US Senate’s bill on immigration reform could have the inadvertent consequence of severely restricting the operation of the J1 summer programme. I noted the significant level of Irish participation in the J1 programme and asked for the Secretary’s assistance in resolving these concerns. I also raised the issue of the Ireland-US Intern Work and Travel Pilot Programme, which is due for renewal later this year and which is the subject of ongoing discussions at official level. Secretary Kerry and I had discussed the renewal of the programme during my St. Patrick’s Day visit to Washington DC. I am pleased that the Bill passed last week by the Senate has resolved issues surrounding the future operation of the J1 summer programme. I do not propose to publish a full copy of my correspondence with Secretary of State Kerry.