Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I heard most of the presentations on the way in but, sadly, Mr. MacSorley filtered out shortly after he started. I am sorry I did not hear all of his presentation. The case the organisations make is very strong. I will support it 100%, although I am a tiny cog in this very large wheel of Leinster House. Particularly as we emerge from Covid-19, more aid must be put into the areas in which the organisations work. It has always been a hobby-horse of mine that we can see the most deprived parts of the world where millions of dollars are spent on arms and ammunition, but we cannot feed the people in these areas. It is an outright scandal. Ireland should not step away from its commitments and, as most of my colleagues have said, it should increase its commitment to the areas in which the organisations work simply because ours is a wealthy country, regardless of whether we like it. Over the next couple of years there will be a tightening of budgets as we emerge from the pandemic to try to get our economy back, but we must support those who cannot support themselves.

I thank the witnesses. I apologise to Mr. MacSorley, and I will read what he said. However, I heard the contributions from Ms Keatinge and Ms de Barre and they make a compelling case. I promise I will do anything I can within my office. I am sorry I had to drop out for a short time, but I am back now.