Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not try to follow that. I thank Professor Walsh for his contribution but I missed the very beginning of it. If he covered what I ask about here at the start, I apologise. Professor Walsh's clear message relates to how, in our move towards attaining SDGs, no funding should be taken from the official development assistance, ODA, budget. I agree with that and think this committee should endorse that in a formal way. Professor Walsh made a fair point that we have raised here on numerous occasions. If we ever move back towards attaining the 0.7% goal, we should make a clear distinction between development aid and humanitarian aid, and there has been a move over the last years such that, when there is a humanitarian crisis, the ODA pot is dipped into to pay that out. I do not support that and I think it inhibits our progress.

The Chairman has covered Professor Walsh's idea on a referendum. I get his point. I do not think he was entirely serious about that and we will stay away from that for a moment. We have called for a multi-party, multi-annual approach and a planned way to get to 0.7%. I have said that consistently. For us to do that means that all political parties and representatives must cost that in their budgetary plans. We have a Committee on Budgetary Oversight now that looks forward which parties and Independent groups must commit to. It is easy for me to stand, bang a desk and say we should reach 0.7% but I and my party, Fianna Fáil, for argument's sake, must show how we can do that. Sinn Féin, Labour, and last but not least, Deputy O'Sullivan and Independent groups, must do likewise. There is a mechanism to do that and I generally believe there is a political will to do it. We have to be realistic too. Britain took a big jump forward and it would require us to catch up by approximately €160 million in one year. It is very little in the overall context and I believe the general public is ahead of the Government on this. It has been shown clearly that Irish Aid and our NGOs work, and instead of talking about it, many of our NGOs have assisted in showing us that roadmap and how we can commit to it. I heard a figure from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade saying that we would get to 0.7% by 2030. If it is going to take us ten years to get there, then let us say it and be honest about it, or say that we are not going to reach 0.7%. It is damaging our reputation and credibility.

The point Professor Walsh made about chaos being caused by fluctuation in funding levels is true. I do not want us to undo all the good work that has been done over the generations. It is not just about money but if there is one thing the Oireachtas can do, it is to say what the roadmap is and when it can be done, as well as what it means.

If the fiscal space, which is a horrible phrase, is X, every party will have to factor in the substantial increase in overseas development aid, ODA, over the first two or three years to get back on track, but we are failing at that.

I wish to conclude on two matters. I do not know whether I heard Professor Walsh's comment at the start on third country arrangements. This country pays into the EU-Turkish arrangement on dealing with a humanitarian crisis, but we have no oversight of it. Actually, I am not correct to say that we have no oversight, but we do not know how our contribution to that fund is being spent. I cannot get a commitment that none of our money is being spent on security, for example.

Will Professor Walsh comment on the move towards these arrangements? An Afghanistan arrangement on resettling refugees and returning them to Afghanistan that is tied to future aid commitments is a real issue. We could discuss sustainable development goals, SDGs, and 2030 until the cows come home, but if the EU is moving towards these types of arrangement, under which people are sent back to regimes and countries that are not safe, it undermines the process.

Hearing about co-operation between universities and what they can do in our partner countries in the developing world was interesting. That is already happening well at secondary school level. I have seen it with Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, SAGE. Portmarnock community school in my area won an award for #MapLesotho and did incredible work. That is happening across the country. We need to be able to harness it because I am unsure whether we would know the answer if someone asked what our universities and secondary schools were doing in respect of our aid countries. Many good things are happening but they are not being brought together. Doing that would be important.

I thank Professor Walsh for his interesting contribution. Perhaps he will comment on a couple of my points.