asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the Government has made any representations in respect of new US immigration laws; and whether it has sought an amnesty for Irish immigrants who might have entered the United States illegally.

25.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of proposals of the US Senate and Congress to file legislation to increase the number of visas for Irish citizens; and the efforts he proposes to make to influence this desirable development.

I propose to reply to Questions Nos. 28 and 25 together.

I am aware of a recent Bill that passed the US Senate on 19 September, and of the various earlier Bills before the Senate and House of Representatives in recent years. The Embassy at Washington has on my instructions kept in regular touch with the US authorities on this matter.

US immigration rules are based on global quotas, divided into preference categories. There are no separate national quotas. The Bill that passed the Senate on 19 September does not therefore provide for increased quotas for Irish citizens.

With regard to non-immigrant visas, for tourism and business purposes, there are no quotas, national or global. Each case is dealt with on its merits.

None of the recent Bills before the Houses of Congress has become law.

Most of the drafts of the legislation contain provisions on an amnesty for people in the US illegally since before 1980.

Our Embassy and Consulates General in the United States will of course make every effort to help individual Irish citizens who contact them, and will try to direct them how best to exercise any rights or means that may be available to regularise their stay in the US.

Would the Minister agree that the Government have been trying to sweep the question of emigration under the carpet and with the statement in this morning's Irish Independent that the Government still fight shy of the scandal, allowing instead people who are often unskilled and unprepared to end up on the human refuse heap of the world's capital cities? Would the Minister also agree that there are anything up to 70,000 illegal Irish immigrants in the US and will he state what the Government are trying to do to regularise the situation? Would the Minister also agree that the present regulations requiring either family connections or skills which are in short supply are too restrictive and that as a result only a tiny proportion of a quota of 20,000 allowed under the 1965 Act is actually being used?

The answer to the first part of the Deputy's supplementary is in the negative. The answer to the second part is that that is speculation and the answer to the third part is embraced in the original answer I gave to the question.

Will the Minister say whether or not he as the Minister with responsibility in this area had discussions with the Secretary of State, Mr. Shultz in this matter or whether the Taoiseach as head of Government, had any discussions with President Reagan or Vice-President Bush on the matter, during their recent visit to the US?

They do not care.

During my recent visit to the United States I did not meet Secretary of State Shultz and if the Deputy wants to find out what the Taoiseach talked to anybody about he should put down a separate question.

Would the Minister not accept that a serious situation exists in the US where many young Irish boys and girls have stayed on visitor's visas and are at present living and working there as fugitives? Will the Minister admit to this House that he and the Government have a very grave responsibility to regularise the situation and that they should do something about it immediately? The Minister should say what actions the Government have taken at the very highest level with the American administration, to regularise this situation.

They do not care.

There is not much point in Deputies putting down questions if they will not listen to the answers. The points raised by the Deputy have been answered in the question. If the Deputy thinks he is consoling the parents of those boys and girls who he says are living in desperate conditions in the United States he is absolutely wrong. Of course, people are living there illegally at the moment but that does not mean they are living in dreadful conditions.

Will the Minister say what action the Government are taking that will help these people who are living illegally in the US at present?

I outlined that in my original reply and said that the Government have been in touch with the State Department in America about this and——

The Government are doing nothing whatsoever to help them.

The Minister is reneging on them and using their presence there as an excuse to show that the unemployment figures are reducing.

That is absolute nonsense.

It is the truth.

If the Deputy had listened to my reply he would know that what was involved in the Bill before the US Senate last month referred to people living there illegally since before 1980 and I was not in office before 1980.

I am asking the Minister what he is doing to regularise the situation.

The Deputies across do not like it when the truth is pointed out.

Order, order.

Who was in office before 1980?

There is total failure in this area.

Order, order. There is one question left and I would like to leave it at that.

Will the Minister accept that there are up to 70,000 illegal Irish immigrants in the US, the majority of whom went there since the Minister came into office?

That is pure speculation.

The Bill before the US Senate related to immigrants there before 1980 when the Deputy was a Minister.

I am calling Question No. 29.

You do not give a damn.