THE President, Mrs Robinson, thanked Irish aid workers in London yesterday for producing an "important" advice guide for young emigrants because she believed too many were "unprepared and not aware of the difficulties".
After being presented with a copy of the Guide to London for Young Irish People by the Action Group for Irish Youth (AGIY), Mrs Robinson said she hoped the book would be widely circulated in Ireland.
"I recognise just how important it is to have information available. Curiously, I have become more aware since becoming President that there is a psychological willingness for emigrants to prepare if they are going as far as Boston or Toronto.
"But the closeness and apparent familiarity of Britain appears to mean they are not prepared and not aware of the difficulties facing them," she said.
Mr Seamus Taylor, chairman of AGIY, told the President the guide covered every aspect of emigrating from registering with a doctor to finding a job.
AGIY, whose patron is the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, has published a further 100,000 copies of the guide after receiving funding from the British National Lottery. It plans to distribute them to schools and colleges in Ireland.
Later yesterday afternoon, Mrs Robinson unveiled a plaque to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ireland House and paid tribute to the work of the five agencies based there.
Recalling her official visit to Britain in June, President Robinson said she was aware of the "very positive presence" and contribution of the Irish community.
The heads of the five agencies - Bord Failte, Bord Trachtala, IDA Ireland, RTE and Bord Bia - praised President Robinson for portraying a "youthful, energetic and hardworking picture of Ireland."
Mrs Margaret Cahill, the head of Bord Failte, predicted that the number of tourists visiting Ireland would continue to increase if "there is no deterioration" in the political situation.
"Visits such as yours are very important in improving the public perception of Ireland," she added.
Mr David Hellier, the head of IDA Ireland, said he thought the prospect of a British general election would affect business. It was very competitive, he said. Welsh and Scottish agencies were all scrambling for investment which Ireland was also seeking.