Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is probably the largest group of witnesses I have ever seen and it is great to see so many people. We are discussing a very important subject, which is the outbreak of the ebola virus affecting countries in west Africa. To consider this issue the joint committee has requested that representatives from four bodies meet us this afternoon.

I extend the sympathy of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade to the family and friends of the Concern worker whose death was reported this morning. His death brings ebola that bit closer to the people. I heard the report of his death on RTE radio this morning, in which it was stated he had to go for treatment for his illness elsewhere even though he presented some of the symptoms of ebola, and that at the end of the day he was not seen and he died queueing to be tested. This is a real sign of the chaos which exists in west Africa at present.

We have a packed agenda and committee members are very anxious to hear what the witnesses have to say. I remind committee members, witnesses and those in the Visitors Gallery to ensure their mobile telephones are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference, even in silent mode, with the recording equipment in the committee rooms. This is particularly important today because our proceedings are being broadcast live on Oireachtas TV.

In advance of today's hearing and presentations I remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person or body outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the joint committee. If they are directed by the Chairman to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.
I welcome all the witnesses. We will hear first from Caitríona Ingoldsby from the Department of Foreign and Trade. Her presentation will be followed by presentations from Barry Andrews of GOAL, and from Dr. Gabriel Fitzpatrick of Médecins Sans Frontières. We also have with us Dr. Colette Bonner, deputy chief medical officer from the Department of Health. I thank her sincerely for attending because I am sure some of our members may want to ask some technical questions. Dr. Bonner will not make a formal presentation but is at the disposal of the members. We are also joined by Karl Gardner, director of human resources in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Nicola Brennan, senior development specialist. They are all very welcome.
The ebola crisis that has affected Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and other regions in west Africa is a real concern to all of us in the Western world. It is a situation that has got out of control. We are not sure whether the statistics we are hearing about are accurate. Some people estimate that the real figures have not been collected because of the difficulty of the terrain. We are conscious that every district in these countries is affected, not just the urban areas. Sometimes the rural areas are the most difficult areas to get people into because of the geography and the fact that people are concentrating on the urban areas where there are large numbers of people. The situation is very difficult, and I am delighted that our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was able to allocate funding to help in the control of the ebola outbreak, not just in terms of money but also resources, which are extremely important. We are hearing that many health workers do not have the training or the resources - simple items such as gloves at times - to deal with the outbreak. Ebola is highly contagious; it is spread through bodily fluids. We are hearing also that there is a problem with the disposal of bodies. All of these difficulties contribute to what is happening.
The other area we are concerned about is that many of the commercial airlines have stopped flying into these regions. We are asking doctors, nurses, health workers and aid workers to come into these areas, yet if they go in they find it very difficult to leave because flights no longer fly in and out of these regions, other than Royal Air Maroc and United Nations flights. It is a difficult situation, and many people here do not realise the seriousness of it for health workers and all our non-governmental organisations, NGOs, working extremely hard in the region, many of whom are compromising their own safety and working extremely hard. We have heard about some of the cases being treated but we have to pay tribute to our health, embassy and aid workers in the area.
The latest statistics indicate that by January 2015, over 1 million people could be affected by this outbreak. That is why it is important that every country deals with it, and we are delighted to have a team of experts before the committee today. Without further ado I call Ms Caitríona Ingoldsby from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.