I raise this subject as the result of a certain amount of ambiguity that would appear to exist in relation to the availability of Irish passports for Irish citizens at present living in the State of Rhodesia. It has been apparent for some time that the Irish citizens in that State are not fully informed and/or fully aware of their rights in this matter. Successive Governments have not attempted to explain to these citizens in great detail the constitutional rights that exist in regard to their entitlement to an Irish passport. We have approximately 8,000 citizens living in Rhodesia and it has been the policy of the Department of Foreign Affairs not to issue passports to those Irish citizens whose activities might further encourage the unlawful actions of the illegal regime there. Can the Minister define activities that would further encourage unlawful actions of the illegal regime in Rhodesia? An Irish person employed as an officer of the civil service there who might have a house mortgage, have to pay school fees or insurance policies and loans to finance houses in that State is in a financial quagmire with the result that he is not in a position to leave that country if he wishes. I should like to know if he is alleged to be supporting an illegal regime? Is a person who ten years ago joined the police force, the armed forces or any section of the civil administration to be denied an Irish passport because the allegation can be made by the Department that he is inadvertantly encouraging the unlawful actions of an illegal regime?
Our attitude, and the policy of the Department in recent years, has been far too vague and requires clearer definition. It requires a stronger and clearcut statement by the Minister. Recently the Minister was engaged in an extensive tour of six countries in Africa during the course of which he met many Irish contingents. His trip was greatly appreciated by them. I should like to know if he met any deputations from the Irish people living in Rhodesia. I believe he may have met some people representing the Irish community living in the state of South Africa. It is important that it be pointed out that there are many Irish people living in Rhodesia who do not support apartheid but who, by virtue of economic factors that existed at the time of their qualification from university, technical colleges or secondary schools, could not find employment here and had to seek work overseas. Indeed, they were encouraged to do so by successive Governments. Having found gainful employment those who went to Rhodesia now find themselves deprived of their constitutional right to an Irish passport.
In the course of his written reply to Question No. 324 yesterday the Minister said that every Irish citizen living abroad has a right of entry to this country and that he had always made it clear that any Irish person living in Rhodesia who wishes to settle in Ireland or otherwise leave Rhodesia permanently would be issued with an Irish passport in the usual way. In that statement we have the vagueness which has been characteristic of this section of foreign policy. A person does not need a passport to return to their own country but why does an Irish person living in Rhodesia have to state that he wishes to settle for the rest of his life in Ireland before he can obtain an Irish passport? Irish citizens living anywhere else in the world do not have to make that declaration. Why should an Irish citizen have to state to the Department that he will never return to Rhodesia where he may have relatives or may wish to attend funerals or sporting events?
In the light of the declaration by the illegal régime in Rhodesia that they are going to have full integration with regard to housing, schools and hospitals, that they are going to reform the Land Act and are initiating a general election with one man one vote, I suggest to the Minister that he render facile the availability of passports for all Irish citizens living in Rhodesia. We have seen the Minister's sincerity with regard to upholding the United Nations mandatory sanctions but what about our neighbour the UK, who, in a matter of months after the initiating of those sanctions, knew they were being broken? Has the Minister familiarised himself with the Bingham Report presented to the UK Government? In the light of the fact that the UN resolution responsible for these mandatory sanctions must be renewed in the near future and because a country who allegedly supported those sancions wilfully and knowingly broke them, is the Minister once again going to bring the Department, and the country, along like sheep, following one another?
I have been concerned for many years about our hospitality to and the way we appear to go out of our way at official level to visitors from Communist countries.