Mr. Tony Cotter:

It all depends on how a country approaches its development assistance. There is a long-standing tradition from Ireland and we have taken a particular policy approach. Our consistent policy approach has been that our aid is untied. As I have said, that is respected and acknowledged worldwide. Separately, and on a different track, that does not prevent us from seeking business opportunities for our business enterprises and this can complement the development assistance that is given.

I did not realise that I would encourage so much interest in railways. Anyway, in 1964 when Zambia got its independence, it inherited a very good rail network from the Chinese. Remarkably, Zambia has approximately 73 different dialects and languages and there is no word for maintenance in any of those languages or dialects. The railway system which the country inherited in 1964 has fallen into disrepair. Consideration is being given to moneys being spent to develop that railway system, because, like the road system, a modern up-to-date railway system would be of immense benefit to Zambia in getting in imports and getting out exports. Consideration is being given to that at this stage.

Senator Daly asked a more difficult question. The allocations I referred to in my opening remarks for the programme countries and the allocations that our programme countries get under the European Development Fund are country-specific. However, those countries also benefit from the regional spend on infrastructure projects, such as roads, energy systems, transport systems, all of which assist these countries and make them more attractive for foreign direct investment and business.

We believe that the European Union gives us advice on a global stage and by working together it is possible to get the maximum impact from a development spend. I set out in my opening statement how we see the EDF spend complementing our national spend. However, I am unsure whether I can answer all the reservations raised.