Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to our meeting. This is an important issue for a small country like Ireland that as an independent country we show willingness to help a country like Cuba to develop properly. Irrespective of the past, we are in the present. These are people who deserve support and help in developing their economy. Little is known about Cuba in this country. There was a time when Cuba was mentioned that people would say we do not have anything to do with that part of the world.

This is a relatively small independent country that is developing and going its own way. As can be seen from the figures, it has a small number of unemployed compared with Ireland. It has a population about three times ours, but its GDP per capitais only one ninth of ours. For countries like Cuba coming from where it came from in a relatively short period, a country like ours, which is totally independent, should use whatever influence we have to bring and help them along and to support their development. The average person living in Cuba went through periods of living under a very strict regime. It is at times like this when it is developing that it needs friends and support. It is important for an independent country like Ireland with no hard views one way or the other to support it.

I recommend that a small delegation of maybe a couple of Members of this Parliament should visit these countries at this stage of their development and report back so that we can find out at first hand what is happening. Nothing but good can come out of this. An independent country like Ireland can play a significant part in helping the development of Cuba along the lines I would like to see.

I am delighted to be here to encourage that we take it seriously. Along with other countries Cuba is coming from a background that was very foreign to us. Very few of us knew about Cuba up to recently. We need to show support and encourage it to develop like a true democracy. We should give any help or advice we can at this stage in its development.