Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentations. The Leas-Chathaoirleach summed up the view of the committee but we must go through it in more detail.

I will first say something that is relevant but not strictly related to what has been said before coming back to the specific points raised. There has been some media focus on the very isolated and disgraceful objections to immigrants displaced from Ukraine, Syria and Africa. There have been disgraceful incidents but what has been missed in all of this is that the vast majority of Irish people, through their silence and activity, are on the other side. That merits pointing out. There is a great generosity in supporting the Third World. There is always a political acceptance that it is our duty to increase aid to the Third World. We should be very proud of our people in this area and perhaps put a focus on the positive because there has been a good deal of media attention on some people who in no way reflect Ireland or its people.

I will put a couple of questions to the witnesses. Unsustainable debt levels continue to cripple government efforts and damage the prospects of delivering on the SDGs. Have any well argued academic or practical studies been done on the implications of removing that debt from a western point of view? I refer to the spin-off improvement in economies and where that might balance up. In other words, has a cogent case been developed yet for eliminating that debt and writing it off? Where are the blockages in the developed world? What are the solutions to those blockages in terms of what it would mean to remove the debt? How would the witnesses see it transforming society in Third World countries? Obviously, that should have ramifications for the entire world. If it has not been done, it needs to be done.

It has been identified that Ireland will have a key position in September. As a committee we must be conscious of that and keep the pressure on so that the Irish input will be very positive and provide leadership. One assumes that will be the case. Could the witnesses comment more specifically on what we should seek the Government to say and do there in a very narrow, specific sense? We will have the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs before the committee at some point. What should we say to him in that regard?

The roadmap and timeline detailing how Ireland will meet its commitment to the 0.7% of GDP target is overdue. I agree with what has been said by the witnesses about that. I think that should be the case. The committee should request from the Government that the position be made clear. I know there are variables but, even at that, it should be a pattern. I accept the commitment is genuine. As I said, there is buy-in from the public. Nobody I represent or have any dealings with has ever said they do not want us to support the Third World or for the Government to vote aid to it. Thank God, I have yet to meet such a person. The witnesses might elaborate on that.

Afghanistan is a horror on so many levels and nobody in this room needs me to reinforce that. As such, I do not propose to do so. What in God’s name could we do about Afghanistan? How could pressure be exerted there? Do the witnesses see channels in which we could move because it is one of the great aberrations. It is not even medieval. It is unfair to medieval society to describe it in that way. It is beyond acceptable. Do the witnesses just state the problem or do they see solutions there? Those are the issues.