Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

People see what is happening in refugee camps, be it in Syria or Sudan. I saw it myself during the summer when I went to Mogadishu. I was the first Irish Minister to go there for about 20 years. We see appalling conditions in refugee camps. One sees our financial commitment, the support we give to NGOs and how much it means. I saw children attending schools and the rubble of a devastated city. I saw schools being rebuilt and being used for a variety of other purposes. We must maintain our commitment to and faith in the poorest people in the world. It is the right thing to do and strengthens this country's reputation. As I said when we were talking about the trade issues earlier, apart from it being the right thing to do, it will also benefit us in the long run. We are now opening up opportunities for trade in places where we were providing aid years ago during famines.

In respect of emergencies-----