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Ministerial Meetings

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 February 2019

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Questions (75)

Brendan Smith

Question:

75. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of his recent discussions with authorities and members of the Senate and House of Representatives in the United States of America regarding Brexit issues and immigration reform, with particular reference to the undocumented Irish and the possibility of progressing the E3 visa programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7387/19]

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Written answers

I travelled to New York and Washington DC last week, from 5 - 7 February, and had a range of meetings with the US Administration and with Congressional leaders.

Northern Ireland, and the importance of protecting the gains of the Good Friday Agreement in the current Brexit context, were to the fore in all of my discussions, including with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney; and with the Congressional Friends of Ireland. I believe that the Government's views on the priority of protecting and advancing peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland were well understood.

I also raised immigration issues in all of my meetings in Washington DC, and thanked many Congressional leaders for their support in recent months for the Irish E3 Bill, which while approved unanimously by the US House of Representatives, was not approved in the US Senate. During my visit, I launched the Government's new Strategy for the US and Canada, which records the Government's determination to both secure future legal immigration pathways for Irish citizens, and pathways to regularisation for the Irish who are undocumented in the US. This work will continue, including over the St. Patrick's Day period, when the Taoiseach will travel to Washington DC for a series of high-level engagements.

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