Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I absolutely agree with the Senator. I addressed the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly on this topic. As the committee has heard, any channel, forum or opportunity should be used. None of us wants to get to a point in a few months' time when we are forced to say we wish we had done a little extra. I strongly suggest that this committee contacts its fellow committees in EU member states and our neighbour next door to ask what they are doing. The committee should ask its equivalents what development ministers in those countries, who are in the same situation as I am, are doing in response to this particular crisis. Some states are playing an enhanced role, while others could do an awful lot more. I recognise that some states are caught in a bind in respect of Ukraine and how to finance it, given the state of their own finances. I do not believe for one minute that everyone can experience the same privilege I was allowed to have in going to see the situation at first hand, which allowed me the opportunity to be a champion and voice for those people. A gentleman I met, who was closer to me than the Senator is now, told me that everything is dead. The livestock and grass are dead. He told me his children are dying. He asked that others keep talking for him. He did not want money, which was interesting. His call was not to try to get a few extra supports. His call was to ensure the voices of those people are heard. Anything that can be done through interparliamentary activity, committees and any form of communication is crucial. I do not know if the Senator was present when I made this point earlier but it is something I always repeat. When the world's television cameras show up, it is too late. That is the definition of failure. We hope to have succeeded in preventing that moment from happening. We are in a privileged position as parliamentarians in that we can have a voice to which, we hope, people will listen. We can at least make points to others. We want the position to be that no one, no matter where they are, can say in a few months' time that they were not aware of the situation. Everyone should be and we hope they will be.