Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I did not expect to be coming in that quickly. I will begin by thanking the Minister of State for his attendance. Our remit includes assessing our international development commitments. I compliment the Minister of State. I had a lunch engagement today with some visitors from Tipperary, who were asking me about the day ahead. I said that the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas aid was to be before the committee. The first question I was asked was how much we spend on overseas aid. I said that we spend in the region of €800 million. The Minister of State can correct me if I am wrong. The next question was why we spend so much. I will give the Minister of State the opportunity to answer that question. In budget 2026, there was a €30 million increase in our overseas fund. We are often critical of social media, but I have seen some of the social media around the Minister of State's trips abroad. They reflect to me the impact of that aid. For the ordinary citizen, why are we spending €800 million or more? I will give the Minister of State the opportunity to answer that.

I would appreciate an update on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Perhaps the Minister of State has some knowledge or could bring us up to date on his views and assessment of the situation in Ukraine at the moment.

I want to tap into the extent to which the Minister of State engages with private sector companies in his international work. I am sure he will agree that private sector engagement and trade in general are crucial to sustainable development. To what extent is the private sector involved in the work of the Minister of State?