Mr. David Turner:

I thank the members for their observations and the reception for our three requests. We feel that Ireland can do more. Sometimes in the face of describing such widespread horrors, we throw up our hands and feel we can do nothing. I think we can do things because changes in government policy can filter down. Many of the attacks on Christians happen at a local level. Changes in government policy at a national level filter down to state level and if it becomes clear that activities at a local level are bringing the national government into disrepute, then changes can happen. However, they can only happen if all democratic countries, including Ireland, take a stand.. I am very thankful that individually and it seems collectively there is a welcome for the need to do some more in this area.

Church in Chains remains available to the committee to identify any individual cases or particular issues which could be teased out with the ambassadors of the countries we have mentioned further to what we have put in our presentation, which of necessity is just a brief summary of the issues. Behind the issues we have outlined today are individual Christians who have suffered, whether that be an individual pastor in China who has been put in prison because of their faith, an individual Christian in Pakistan who is under sentence of death under the blasphemy law, individual Christians in India whose homes or church buildings have been burnt down or the many individuals in Nigeria who have had to flee their homes. We would be open and happy to provide examples of all these to the committee for further interactions with the ambassadors of those countries.