One of the main recommendations of the task force was that we provide funding and ensure that there is close co-operation between various Departments and the voluntary agencies at home and abroad, with particular regard to advice and information in my section. I have increased that money and provided funding to a very fine initiative in Mayo, the Emigrant Liaison Committee. It is a pity Deputy Ring is not here to hear me praising the people of Mayo. That brings people home, and it has been tremendous.
I also fund the Episcopal Commission for Emigrants, facilitate the Coalition of Irish Immigrant Centres in the United States and provide funding for the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas. A considerable sum has been made available — it increased from €127,000 to €427,000 from last year to this. That is a huge increase in funding. I am totally committed to ensuring that we live up to the recommendations. As the Deputy indicated, we had a first and very successful European conference on mobility and integration. For the first time, the emigrant advice centres and the coalition were invited from the United States and the United Kingdom. They facilitated several of the discussions that took place. It was very fruitful and encouraging. People were very happy with the outcome and the interaction between the European issues, which certainly exist.
Someone very high up in the Commission, a French gentleman, said that he could not understand the problem that we had with the Irish in the United Kingdom. However, he said that once he had the opportunity to listen to the British and United States organisations, it became particularly and peculiarly clear to him what the issues were. His view was that, on that basis, such things should not happen to migrants in the European Community. He took that as a policy initiative to be considered by the Commission. I will therefore forward recommendations to the Council in Luxembourg to make progress on this issue in particular. Our interaction has been fabulous and I intend to continue the support and funding of this programme.
I agree with the Minister for Foreign Affairs that whatever resources are available should go to those who need them most. I appreciate that people wish to have a committee set up and an organisation. I am not sure if that is the right way to go forward at present — perhaps in due course. However, we can achieve more interaction regarding emigrants and emigrant advice in particular, supporting those who wish to come home.
There have been several new initiatives on the basis of that in Mayo which I feel it is incumbent on communities to consider, for example, in voluntary housing projects, where two or three houses are made available. I believe that Kerry does that too. Those housing facilities are there for two or three people to be repatriated. There are other issues, as the Deputy knows, relevant to why people will not come home and find themselves in various situations. However, in the main, we can more and more facilitate work on this issue, and I have considerably increased the funding this year to ensure that that happens.
