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

Ireland has considerably increased its funding to the trust fund. I thank the witnesses for their attendance. This is the third time we have invited Médecins sans Frontières, MSF, to appear before the committee. In previous discussions with Mr. Taylor we indicated our appreciation for people who are working in very difficult circumstances, in particular the Irish doctors and nurses who are working in the Mediterranean who have come here to outline their experiences to us. I represent the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. I know people, including friends, who are medics and nurses and other support staff working in those very difficult circumstances. Migration is once again a topical issue in terms of the many different crises throughout the world. I was anxious, with the support of the committee, to invite MSF to make a presentation to us today. We are glad that the witnesses took the opportunity to do so. As a committee, we do not have an executive role. All we can do is try to get a message across to the Government and create an awareness among the public in regard to the need to support organisations such as MSF and the good effect to which they put Irish Aid money.

A year and a half ago we would probably have been speaking at committees like this about 65 million people being displaced, which was the UN figure at that time. Today, the witnesses quoted the figure of 68.5 million people displaced, 85% of them in developing countries, which shows the huge pressure on the least advantaged countries. The point made by Ms Hadj Sahraoui that facts no longer matter in the US or in Europe has to be a huge concern for all of us who value truth and democracy. There is a coarsening, unfortunately, of public debate, not just about crises but about general politics on a day-to-day basis as well, and this is unfortunate for society.

I thank MSF and the other NGOs and our Naval Service for the Trojan work they do in very difficult circumstances. As a committee, we continually afford this forum as a place where people can come and outline to us the issues that they see every day in the places most affected.

I thank the witnesses for their presentation and wish them and their colleagues the best while working in extremely difficult circumstances.

Our policy adviser for the past year and a half, Ms Marylee Wall, has been promoted and is going back to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade unfortunately. I record our appreciation for her help, advice and assistance to us a committee. She did exceptionally good work with the committee and her work on our Irish Aid report was extremely beneficial to us and to the sector. We will have an informal meeting next week and the members will be notified of the informal meetings that we have for the rest of this month. The meeting now stands adjourned.