Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Mr. Meehan on his appointment as Trócaire's new executive director and thank him for his presentation. We are all aware of the outstanding work Trócaire is doing around the world. I am sure that will continue under his leadership.

Trócaire has needed to reduce the number of countries in which it is working from 27 to 17 over the 2013-15 period. Was this due to financial considerations or were there other considerations? Like others, I am happy it is continuing its work in Palestine. It is not only involved in highlighting human rights abuses, poverty and so on, but it also acts as an advocacy group.

Mr. Meehan mentioned the formal advice from the British and Dutch governments. Are there particular reasons that Mr. Meehan can articulate as to why the Irish Government does not want to give the same basic advice to Irish companies? We seem to be working towards a consensus across Europe on this matter, but it is interesting that many companies, particularly multinationals and banks, are pushing ahead regardless of what their governments are doing. This initiative is coming from some of the largest banks in Germany, Holland and so on. Would Mr. Meehan encourage companies based in Ireland to follow suit?

What work does Trócaire undertake in Palestine and in partnership with whom? We are all horrified by what is happening in Gaza. It seems to be getting worse. Conditions were affected by recent floods and there is no access for supports.

Trócaire also works in Uganda. We are all aware of the passing of its anti-gay Bill into law this week. Many of us view that law as draconian and an infringement of human rights. On the day it was passed, some newspapers outed 200 individuals as being LGBT. People are being targeted. We all want to send the message to the Uganda Government that this law is unacceptable. Does it change the dynamic of our country's relationship with development aid? No one wants the development work and projects that are under way in Uganda to be hampered but this situation creates difficulties. What is Mr. Meehan's advice? Does Trócaire work mainly with the Ugandan Government or NGO partners? Will Trócaire's work be affected by this law and how? How should the Irish Government react?

Like others, I am interested in the impact of the scandal about CEO's salaries. How does Trócaire highlight its transparency and oversight as regards its funding? What are its initiatives in this regard?

We were delighted when Aung San Suu Kyi was released in Myanmar-Burma, but that country is again experiencing significant levels of ethnic violence. I am particularly worried about the security of minorities like the Karen, of whom Ireland has a large population. They would like to be able to go home. The Rohingya are another group. Does Trócaire work with organisations that assist these minorities?

I congratulate Mr. Meehan on the document, "Stand for Global Justice - Trócaire". This forms part of Trócaire's advocacy work in the European Parliament. I am informed by an election candidate in Dublin, Ms Lynn Boylan, that Trócaire is asking all election candidates to sign up to it. It covers some of the areas in respect of which we have asked questions, for example, settlements, advocacy, climate change, etc. How important is it that people are not only aware of the issues when they are elected, but will also act as champions for change in the European Parliament?