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

I share the concerns of Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan in regard to the situation in Libya. Through our action and inaction in that regard, we are complicit in the events taking place there. We need to seriously consider current Government policy in respect of that part of the world.

Before the Minister of State arrived, evidence was given to the committee by witnesses from Palestine and the awful situation of the Palestinian people as a result of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine was discussed. References were made to Israel being an apartheid state and its continued human rights and international law violations. The view of some committee members is that the Government and Irish people must hold Israel to account and seriously consider banning the importation of goods from illegal colonial settlements and placing sanctions on Israel and its apartheid system.

Millions of euro worth of aid sent to Palestine, much of it paid for by the European Commission which is funded by EU member states, including Ireland, has been destroyed by Israel. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimates the total value of EU aid squandered by Israeli actions at €65 million between 2001 and 2015, inclusive, with at least €23 million destroyed during the Israeli assault on Gaza in 2014. What action is the Government taking to recover some of that funding? What is being done to try to get from Israel money to compensate for some of the damage it caused to property funded by Irish and European aid?

NGOs, many of which are funded by Irish Aid, are under pressure in some countries. Israel has put pressure on certain NGOs and others are under pressure in Turkey, among other places.

What additional supports can the Irish Government give to NGOs, which will need increased support in various parts of the world? The head of Amnesty International Turkey was arrested, for example. I agree with my colleagues on the multilateral spending on EU aid. Many of us have raised our concern that increasingly the focus has been moving away from bilateral spending and shifting more towards multilateral spending. Some of the contributors this morning talked about their recent trip to Malawi and so on. There should be some sort of reporting mechanism for the groups that come back. Is there any formal structure for that? I was on one trip and I saw the result of multilateral spending on a factory to make sunflower oil. There was a factory and machinery but there was no electricity or sunflowers growing in the area. That was just one example of something that is gone wrong within the system. I would not have seen it unless I went to it. I would not have been aware of it and I would not have been able to ask questions. There needs to be some sort of structure in which we can give feedback on some of these issues. There are concerns about how transparent the funding is. I presume I will get a response saying there are all sorts of committees that will look at it. I am more concerned about what committee in this Parliament looks at ODA funding through EU institutions. Perhaps I am wrong, but I do not think we have ever had anyone into the committee to tell us where the funding is being spent. There needs to be a structure, whether it is through the finance committee or someone else. Clearly this committee is not doing it or at least not to the extent that I could go out and tell the public I am fully satisfied as to where all the funding is going because in many cases I do not know. I am appealing today that as part of the reform, a structure be established to make it work in order that we are able to tell our constituents where the money is going and that we are confident it is being spent in the right area. Could the Minister of State clarify, with regard to the EU institutions, how the money is being spent? Can the Department write to us and engage with the committee to tell us how and where the money is spent and, more importantly, come up with solutions for the best way to do that?

There was talk of the least developed countries, LDCs, to the effect that the funding should be focused on places where there is the greatest degree of hunger, fragility and insecurity. I agree with my colleagues. There needs to be some sort of plan for the UN target of spending 0.15% of GNI on overseas development. There needs to be some sort of plan, whether it is the three-year plan being talked about or another one. If there is a plan, I am not aware of it, as an Opposition spokesperson. We need to work together on how that is to be done.

The Minister of State touched on climate change. New figures from the Environmental Protection Agency show greenhouses gas emissions in Ireland increased by 3.5%. This is despite commitments to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020. The State could face fines of €450 million in 2020 for missing its legally binding targets. Will the Government redouble its efforts to tackle climate change at home and abroad? Have we plans to increase the number of key partner countries? Increasing the footprint has been mentioned. Does the Minister of State have any news on that?