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

I often wonder whether we are going backwards in some respects in the context of our global role in educating and helping others. As a result of the fact that Ireland is wealthier and we are all better off, do we have the same level of commitment we should have towards what we would term the Third World? There is a real fear that when a country moves on from being very poor , as ours has done, it might miss out in terms of the commitment it used to have? Is that commitment still there in terms of helping those who need help? Our experience is unique insofar as we can talk about things. People who are my age remember what things used to be like because we experienced them. I often wonder whether, as we grow wealthier, there is a danger that we will lose the things that made us great.