Mr. Conall O'Caoimh:

Fall-offs in trade happen for different reasons. Ireland has increased its exports exponentially in recent years. Part of the reason countries are buying a lot more is that they are growing. It is in the interests of Irish taxpayers that they grow because there will be a bigger market for us to sell into. What we buy from them has fallen to a quarter of what it was in 1996. Since the crash of the Celtic tiger, and during it, our imports from the six countries to which we give the most aid collapsed. Lyons tea bags are no longer made in Ireland. When Unilever bought it and moved production to Britain, we stopped buying tea from a number of African countries. When Fruit of the Loom closed we stopped buying cotton from a number of African countries. As the nature of Irish industry changed, we no longer needed to buy commodities. Industries collapsed because nothing was done to replace them. The aid programme has a role in finding replacements as things fall off.

We have a small operation in the UK. We have registered as a company and have a board. We have a strategic plan and a business plan, and are now trying to find money. My job is to knock on doors in London to try to get that.

We have had associations with two different chocolates, one of which, from São Tomé and Príncipe, is regarded as one of the best chocolates in the world. It was good but very expensive. It stayed on shelves for about a year and a half. Sheridan's Cheesemongers distributed it, but it is no longer stocked. Malagasy from Madagascar is another brand which is stocked in Morton's and-----