Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Normally we meet on a Wednesday afternoon at 2.30 p.m., but we are here today to facilitate the Debt and Development Coalition. I extend a warm welcome to Ms Nessa Ní Chasaide, co-ordinator, and Ms Morína O'Neill, policy and outreach officer. The Debt and Development Coalition was established in 1993 in order to create and increase awareness of the issue of the debt owed by Third World countries to governments and banking and multilateral financial institutions, to promote the elimination or reduction of this debt and to further promote sustainable and equitable development in Third World countries. The meeting is timely in view of the fact that the spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank will take place in Washington later this month. As the committee focuses very much on Third World and development aid issues, we are delighted to have the delegates here to give us the benefit of their experience in dealing with debt and development issues.