Mr. Niall Burgess:

I missed one question from Deputy Seán Crowe which it is important to answer concerning diasporas. One of the things that struck me in discussions in Malawi and Ethiopia was that there was a perception in Africa that Ireland's relationship with its diaspora was quite unique and had been a very positive and strong force for economic development and growth more generally. We are asked about this. The dual mandate of the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, with responsibility for development and the diaspora, gives us an opportunity to look more closely at this as an aspect of our development policy. Just as in peace building where we have been working to transfer skills and our learned experience of peace building on this island to Colombia and Mozambique, it is an area of work that can be usefully developed for the future.