Mary Lou McDonald
Question:1. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent discussions with the President of the United States of America. [14068/22]
View answerWednesday, 4 May 2022
Questions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:2. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent visit to the United States of America. [16691/22]
View answer
Paul Murphy
Question:3. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent visit to the United States of America. [16694/22]
View answer
Ivana Bacik
Question:4. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent engagements with the President of the United States of America. [17880/22]
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Seán Haughey
Question:5. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent engagement with the President of the United States of America. [20343/22]
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Brendan Smith
Question:6. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent engagement with the President of the United States of America. [20345/22]
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Mick Barry
Question:7. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent engagements with the President of the United States. [21270/22]
View answerOral answers (49 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together.
I visited Washington DC for a programme of engagements, arriving on the evening of 14 March. On Tuesday 15 March, I met the editorial board of The Washington Post to share the Government's priorities and exchange views on current events, including the ongoing war and suffering in Ukraine.
I attended a lunch for Congressman Richard Neal to recognise his long record as a friend of Ireland and to mark the conferring on him of an honorary doctorate from Dublin City University.
At the unveiling of a newly commissioned bust of John Hume, sculpted by artist Liz O'Kane, I spoke of the former leader and civil rights campaigner and on his lasting impact on peace on this island.
I also attended a Tourism Ireland reception, marking the opening night of the 25th anniversary American tour of Riverdance.
The following day, my visit included a series of economic engagements in partnership with IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, including a women in business executive round table and a US Chamber of Commerce and Science Foundation Ireland event. During that event, I was pleased to present the SFI St. Patrick's Day medal to the Collison brothers for their achievement in building their business, Stripe, into a global success, and to Professor Donald McDonnell for his important work in developing new treatments for breast and prostate cancers.
On the same day, I spoke by phone with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. He expressed his gratitude for the support of the Government and people of Ireland, on which he was well briefed, and he expressed his condolences on the killing of photojournalist and camera operator Pierre Zakrzewski. I expressed our strong support for his country in the face of an unprovoked and unjustifiable war.
I also had a telephone call with Vice President Harris discussing Russia's brutal aggression in Ukraine. We also discussed US support for the Good Friday Agreement. This was in place of the traditional St. Patrick's Day breakfast which was cancelled as the Second Gentleman had tested positive for Covid-19.
As was widely reported, I attended part of the Ireland Funds 30th anniversary dinner but departed early as I received a positive result to a precautionary Covid-19 test.
On St. Patrick's Day, I had a bilateral meeting by video with President Biden. We had a substantive encounter, lasting approximately an hour. We discussed important aspects of the US-Irish relationship, including the increasingly two-way dynamic economic relationship between us and the need to improve options for young people, especially, to move between our countries with greater ease. I also raised with him the situation of undocumented Irish migrants in the US. We discussed the situation on the protocol and political developments in Northern Ireland, and the President reiterated his strong commitment, and that of other senior US political figures, to the Good Friday Agreement. On Ukraine, we exchanged views on the latest situation at that time, noting the bravery of the people of Ukraine in defending their democracy. We were both committed to supporting the strongest possible sanctions against Russia and the earliest possible end to the war.
I also met virtually with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Richard Neal, both of whom reiterated their commitment to implementation of the protocol and to the Good Friday Agreement.
Although I was not able to be present, I was pleased that President Biden continued the long-standing tradition of the shamrock ceremony in the White House, and that the Speaker's lunch continues to be an important annual fixture on the Hill.
Throughout my visit, I highlighted the strong cultural and two-way beneficial economic ties between Ireland and the United States, and thanked our partners in the United States for their ongoing support for the Good Friday Agreement, in all circumstances. The war in Ukraine was top of our shared agenda. I made clear that Ireland stands with the people of Ukraine and I welcomed our co-operation with the United States both bilaterally and at the United Nations in defence of democracy in Ukraine, and of their rights under international law.
I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. Will the Taoiseach outline the progress he and the Minister for Foreign Affairs have made in recent years in advancing supports, protections and rights for undocumented Irish living in the United States? Government engagements with the diaspora when in the US are, of course, enormously important. However, they will be viewed by many as shallow if not matched by visible efforts to advance the needs and rights of Irish immigrants. There are, as the Taoiseach knows, tens of thousands of Irish people in America who need to regularise their status. Will the Taoiseach give us an update on works to achieve that aim?
Two 80-year-old US military veterans, Mr. Ken Mayers and Mr. Tarak Kauff, were yesterday acquitted of criminal damage at Shannon Airport and acquitted of trespass, although some headlines read that they were convicted. They were convicted for interference with the workings of the airport, which was a broader and more catch-all allegation. They were acquitted by a jury on counts of criminal damage even though they admitted criminal damage because their defence was that it was justified to prevent a greater crime, namely, the crimes of the US military, of which the accused were former members. The men had friends who committed suicide because of the terrible things they were forced to do as members of the US military in wars around the world. Does the Taoiseach think that the jury has something to tell him about the need to condemn US military action and to stop using Shannon Airport as a site for US military aggression around the world?
I ask the Taoiseach to make a clear statement of criticism and condemnation of the US for its threats against the Solomon Islands.
The Solomon Islands has done a security deal with China, which could allow China to establish a military base in that country. Obviously, we are no friends of the authoritarian Chinese regime and do not recommend such a course but it is clearly the choice of a sovereign government. This was the response of the US ambassador:
Of course, we have respect for the Solomon Islands sovereignty, but we also wanted to let them know that if steps were taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence ... then we would have significant concerns, and we would very naturally respond to those concerns ...
When asked whether that could include military action, the ambassador refused to rule it out. The biggest imperialist global superpower on Earth is threatening a very small country of less than 1 million people, saying that if that country does not make decisions in line with its interests, it could face military action. Will there be condemnation of that?
I thank the Taoiseach for reporting on his engagements with the President of the US. I commend him on his strong words condemning the recent Russian video purporting to show a nuclear attack on Ireland. I am conscious, as we all are, that the war in Ukraine was a significant backdrop to the Taoiseach's visit to the US and was the subject of many of his engagements. I also note his conversation with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Given the recent developments and the growing evidence of Russian complicity in war crimes and atrocities in Bucha, the east of Ukraine and elsewhere, and given that so many of us have called for the expulsion of the Russian ambassador, did the Taoiseach receive any briefings from US intelligence in the course of his engagements in the US on the activities of Russian intelligence agents based in the Orwell Road embassy here? The Taoiseach previously reported, in response to a question I asked, that the Government had moved to expel four senior Russian diplomats from the embassy here but quite a number remain. Can the Taoiseach give us any information from US intelligence about their actions here?
I welcome that the Taoiseach raised again with President Biden the need to make progress regarding immigration reform. The E-3 visa Bill was previously stopped in its tracks at the last minute by one Senator objecting. Irish advocacy groups estimate that there could be up to 10,000 people in the United States whose position has not been regularised, who are referred to as "the undocumented". We know how precarious that position can be when a pandemic hits. Those people are working hard, contributing to society and rearing families in many instances. It is very important that this issue is kept on the agenda.
One other issue I would like to see kept on the agenda is the need for President Biden to appoint a special envoy to Northern Ireland. That intense contact and the development of bilateral relations will be for the benefit of the people of both Northern Ireland and the United States.
Democracy as a form of government in the world is under threat. Authoritarian regimes pose an ongoing challenge to the liberal democracies of the West. We have witnessed a rise in global populism and the so-called strongman leader. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, ordered by Vladimir Putin, has highlighted this conflict in a very stark way. Recognising the threat to liberal democratic values in the world, President Biden hosted a democracy summit last December. The President has talked about the battle between democracies and autocracies. We are very clear as to what side Ireland is on. We advocate free trade as well as a rules-based international order and the use of multilateral diplomacy for solving disputes. Does the Taoiseach agree with President Biden's analysis of the geopolitical situation? While the recent results in the French and Slovenian elections demonstrate the strength of democracy in those countries, does the Taoiseach agree that we can never become complacent about the merits of the liberal democratic system?
An overturning of the Roe v. Wade judgment could open the door to abortion bans in half of all American states. The victims of such a counter-revolution would, in the main, be working-class women and poorer women and women of colour in particular. How many will be driven to the backstreets? How many will have their health endangered? How many will die? An overturning of Roe v. Wade could even threaten rights to same-sex marriage and birth control. In the 1960s and 1970s, civil rights for blacks, LGBTQ people and women were won on the streets. There needs to be a return to the streets now in massive numbers to defend abortion rights. I know this is not an issue the Taoiseach will have discussed with the US President at their most recent meeting but is it likely to be on the agenda of their next meeting? This has implications not just in the US but worldwide.
We consistently raised the issue of the undocumented with the President and with many political leaders in the US. I was somewhat taken aback by Deputy Ó Broin's use of the word "shallow". This has been a consistent approach by the Irish Government with different levels of the American Administration to get a change in what is fundamentally a policy issue for Capitol Hill, for Congress and for the Executive. Over the years we have sought an Irish-specific visa scheme. The bipartisan reintroduction of the E-3 visa Bill in Washington in mid-March was a very welcome development. That is something we will be keeping a very watchful eye on to see if we can, in that context, deal with some of the issues pertaining to the undocumented.
Through my own political career I have been very anxious to create legal channels for migration between Ireland and the United States, given our historic friendship. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I was involved in agreeing the working holiday authorisation agreement between the US and Ireland, which resumed on 1 November last year. The J1 programme has been a tremendously successful part of the Irish-US bilateral relationship, with 150,000 Irish third level students and young people having participated in the programme over the past 50 years.
I raised the issue of the undocumented with President Biden. He has demonstrated his commitment to immigration issues, including possible pathways to citizenship for the undocumented, in his U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. Our embassy in Washington and the network of consulates across the US continue to engage with political leaders from both side of the aisle and at all levels to see if we can get an innovative solution to address the legal issues facing the Irish undocumented in the US. However, in recent times those on the Hill have not looked specifically at one country or ethnic group alone. They tend to want a comprehensive solution. There has been significant opposition to migration and immigration reform in the US. Our emigrant support programme penetrates very deeply and engages with many Irish and diaspora organisations in the US for a range of projects. When I visited New York in September, I saw great evidence of that and met all the groups involved. I went to the New York Irish Arts Center, which we have been supporting since 2008. I was involved in initiating Irish grant aid towards the Irish Arts Center, which has now been dedicated and will provide a wonderful forum for Irish and Irish-American art, drama and theatre and so forth.
Regarding the points raised by Deputies Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy, I would agree with Deputy Haughey that President Biden is correct in identifying a growing number of authoritarian regimes that are out to undermine democracy. I do not believe America is out to undermine democracy. I do not see America as an imperial power in the sense Deputy Paul Murphy does. In the middle of a war, when the Russian Federation has launched a very immoral and unjustifiable war on Ukraine, the US is doing everything it possibly can to defend the people of Ukraine and to give measured and balanced leadership in respect of that.
We are out of time and must move on to Question No. 8.
I did not------
Question No. 8, please.
My question-----
I am sorry but-----
Can I take a few minutes?
If the Taoiseach wants, he can take five minutes from the next group of questions. Is that agreed? Agreed.
The courts have taken their decision about the two gentlemen Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to. On the Solomon Islands, Deputy Paul Murphy has outlined his distaste for the Chinese authorities getting a presence there. Again, it is a far cry from what is going on in Ukraine.
The US is threatening military action.
From our perspective, the world is becoming a more dangerous place because of the work of authoritarian regimes that do not subject themselves to elections on a regular basis.
Does the Taoiseach think that is okay?
On Deputy Bacik's question, we did not receive any US intelligence regarding operatives operating in the embassy during my conversation with the President. We discussed cybersecurity and the threat that represents for Ireland and for both private and public sector entities working in Ireland. We also discussed the need for a collaborative approach in order to repel cyberattacks and develop stronger resilience against cybersecurity threats.
We had an informed discussion on the war in Ukraine, among other issues. He was particularly appreciative of the Irish humanitarian response and the number of displaced persons who we have received from Ukraine, as well as other initiatives, including sanctions and support for Ukraine's European perspective.
Deputy Brendan Smith raised the issue of the undocumented. Our consulates and the embassy in Washington are doing everything possible to encourage representatives to progress migration reform, but it is a factor of US democracy and the US political system at the moment that migration reform is not easy. We were close some years ago. There was one vote in the difference on the E-3 visa. We hope that we can get that back on the agenda. The Speaker and others say they are determined to get that done and we will continue to pursue that.
Deputy Haughey raised the issue highlighted by President Biden since he became President, that there is an essential struggle in the world to preserve and underpin democracies. The war in Ukraine is a wake-up call to people that enough is enough.
Is that what they are doing by backing the Saudis?
When Crimea was invaded-----
Preserving democracy by supporting the Saudis.
I remember raising the issue of the invasion and the partition of Crimea in this House. There were very few takers here, particularly among Sinn Féin or among People Before Profit.
That is not true.
The Taoiseach will find us on record speaking out against it.
That is absolutely not true. It is rubbish.
I mean generally. People indulged and were soft on Russia for too long-----
Not here.
-----across the House. I accept that it was maybe not Deputy Boyd Barrett.
Members of Fianna Fáil met Putin. We never met Putin.
I accept that about Deputy Boyd Barrett.
The Taoiseach's old boss met him.
It was interesting that people at the time, including Sinn Féin, believed that-----
A few of the Taoiseach's old mates are doing business there too.
-----the Russian Federation was attacking fascists in Kyiv. That is on record in statements made at the time. The attacks in Salisbury and in London are signs that many countries tolerated the Russian approach across the world for far too long. It will pose significant challenges over the next number of years to the rules-based order and the capacity to engage in free trade and to have free media operating in many countries and democracies.
Saudi Arabia especially.
We have to be very strong on that and we cannot become complacent in this country or in any European Union country. There are constant attacks through social media and a range of fora to undermine democracy. I just do not share the Deputies' anti-Americanism to the same degree that they articulate it. We have to agree to disagree.
We are just anti-war.
It invariably finds manifestation in attacking the US more than anywhere else.
Some wars are good and some are bad for it.
The Taoiseach will not criticise the US.
It is always whataboutery with the Deputies.
The Taoiseach will not criticise the US.
It is not whataboutery. The Taoiseach is saying "what about".
If there is any attempt at all to attack the Russian Federation or others, the Deputies' immediate response is whataboutery.
No. We condemn it.
Deputy Barry raised an important point which did not form part of the discussion with the President. That is fundamentally a matter that the American Legislature will have to get to grips with. The Deputy is correct that it will pose significant challenges for many working class people in the USA.