Godfrey Timmins
Ceist:11 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Labour if he will outline the countries and the number of centres in each where advice and assistance for emigrants in difficulty is provided.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Advice and Assistance for Emigrants.
Irish migrants in member states of the EC have access to state services on the same terms as indigenous workers of the member state.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has overall responsibility for emigration matters.
One of the functions of Irish embassies and consulates is to provide consular assistance when approached by any of our citizens. This assistance can often, in the case of countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, be in the form of advice in regard to immigration matters. In addition, our embassies also keep in contact and work closely with local Irish organisations and societies to ensure that the difficulties facing all our emigrants are kept to a minimum.
With regard to assistance for migrants financed by the Irish Exchequer, the Department of Foreign Affairs paid grant assistance of £200,000 to 13 emigrant support organisations in the United States in 1990. A further allocation of £200,000 has been provided in the Department of Foreign Affairs' Vote for 1991.
My responsibility with regard to financial assistance for emigrant bodies relates to the allocation of State grants of voluntary emigrant support services in Britain which is distributed on the recommendation of DÍON — the London-based advisory committee on emigrant welfare services. DÍON, on the basis of their assessment and analysis of the situation, determine their priorities, criteria and conditions for the granting of State aid.
In 1990, on DÍON's recommendations, grant assistance of £500,000 was paid by my Department to 29 organisations in Britain and to one agency in Dublin. I am awaiting DÍON's recommendations for the grant aid allocation of £500,000 in my Department's Vote for this year.
FÁS, at my request, provide a comprehensive pre-departure information and advice service for intending emigrants which includes, where possible, dissuading from emigration those for whom particular risks would arise. In this context, I think in particular of the young and those without educational and employment qualifications or without the necessary financial resources.
Do I gather from the Minister's reply that we have 29 advice centres in Britain?
We would have far more because they are mostly diocesan.
I appreciate that. Are there any facilities where we can give assistance and advice to emigrants in centres like New York, Boston or on mainland Europe, such as a centre in West Germany or Holland, where there is a sizeable number of young Irish emigrants?
As I said, the UK centre is my responsibility. However, the embassies and consulates in New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco coordinate the activities of the main organisations for emigrants in those areas. I am not aware of any money being given to a centre in mainland Europe but I know that religious diocesan groups are now moving into Germany and Antwerp. At this stage they are not seeking funding.
Will the Minister agree that while the centres are in place, nevertheless a large number of emigrants are not aware of their existence? Have his Department or the Department of Foreign Affairs taken measures to ensure that people are made aware of the existence of these centres before they travel to foreign cities? There should be some form of public education or advertisements in Irish newspapers abroad, or contained in a brochure, outlining the location of centres.
Deputy Deenihan raised this matter a few years ago. We are now advertising the services of DÍON in all the Irish newspapers in the United Kingdom. I will pass on the Deputy's comments in relation to the other matter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.