Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the Deputy's first key point, the heart of what Irish Aid is about is what he referred to. It is about putting a situation in place on the ground which, as a by-product, will stop migration and people having the necessity to move. If one looks at what causes most global migration, much of it relates to food shortages, such as where crops fail due to climate, etc. What we are trying to do in so many of our programmes is to address such issues in order that people have the ability and the means to remain on the ground. I have not had the chance to discuss some of our really positive programmes, particularly in the areas of education and gender equality. We are one of the strongest countries in terms of leading supports in areas to ensure that girls can remain in school. We can break the cycle of poverty through the work we do in ensuring there is education available for young girls which keeps them in school. That not only benefits young girls in society, but also the whole of society in terms of breaking that poverty cycle. All of those things combined, which is what Irish Aid is really about, will, it is hoped, enable countries to move away from the situation of people in those countries wanting to move to Europe. The current situation in that regard is not sustainable.

I am often challenged by people who ask why we are spending money on overseas aid and what the benefits are to Ireland and Europe of all this money going there. The benefit is that the world cannot continue to have the type of structure it has had to date for so many reasons, including the climate challenge we are now facing. We need to create a far greater equality between the wealthy countries of western Europe and elsewhere in the western world and those in the remainder of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere in Africa, where there is still devastating poverty. If we do not do so and proactively engage on that issue, our children and our children's children will feel the impact. The impact will be felt even more quickly than that. As the Deputy stated, we saw through the events in the Mediterranean what can happen very quickly and the appalling loss of life that can result when people are desperate and wish to move.

I think the figure he is seeking in that regard is 16% on the justice side. I think it is €142 million. I will double check that and come back to the Deputy with a note on it. Appendix 2 is €142.5 million, which relates to the other channels the Deputy asked about in his original contribution. As I outlined in response to Deputy Brady in terms of the pathway to allocating 0.7% of GNI* to ODA, it is very much an incremental approach that is designed to make it sustainable. I think I have covered the points raised.