Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Chair for the opportunity. The witnesses are welcome. As the Chair said, if there is any way that I can bring forward their issues within the Council of Europe, they should please feel free to get in touch directly on that. Within the committee, as the Chair said, we will also be doing that.

This is in breach of the UN convention and of all human rights and civilised behaviour. I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words because, quite apart from the presence of the witnesses today, some local people in my home area have been in touch with me on this issue and I have been aware of it for a while. In looking at the submission and the Global Guide, we can see the number of countries where there is persecution. If we take the landmass area and the population involved, it is a vast area running right through the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa and onwards. It is a vast area and a huge international problem. At school, we liked to believe that the persecution of Christians ended with the acceptance of religion by the Roman Empire. Unfortunately and tragically, that is not the case and it continues to this day.

I appreciate the Chair giving me the opportunity to express solidarity. I should say that we had a sequence of votes in the Seanad and as I am the Whip there, I could not reasonably leave, and we also had another group in. I want to express my absolute support and solidarity. I do not think we will find anyone on this committee who thinks otherwise. The Chair will lead us in supporting the organisations represented here today.