Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Thank you very much, Ms Finan. Deputy Grealish and other members referred to the outstanding work that your organisations and other sister NGOs or missionaries do abroad. We want extend to all the people working out there our very best wishes. We understand and appreciate they are working in the most difficult of conditions in so many parts of the world where there are crises and are getting assistance to the most disadvantaged people in our world today. I live in Cavan town beside a small convent, the Holy Rosary Convent. The convent houses retired nuns, many of whom are quite elderly and who were involved in teaching and in the health services in Africa. They were literally pioneers many many decades. They did outstanding work and it is always a joy to listen to the different stories of their work.

As Ms. Foster-Breslin mentioned, great success followed from that work, from training and upskilling people and providing services where none existed. As Irish people, we are all very proud of that work and of the work carried on by both lay and religious missionaries across the world today. Perhaps Ms. Foster-Breslin might convey to her colleagues the appreciation of this committee and of the Oireachtas in general for the outstanding work they do among the most disadvantaged and underprivileged people. I thank the witnesses very sincerely for their presentations this morning. We will no doubt have further engagement as the work of this committee continues into 2018.