John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

Does the Minister agree, from his discussion with the aid agencies, that we are getting value for money? The implication from his colleague was that the aid agencies had to be watched. I listened carefully to the Minister of State's reply. Will the Minister state categorically that we are getting value for money from the aid agencies, that they are doing fantastic work and that they should not be criticised for investing money in advocacy? I would like the Minister, as the senior Minister, to clarify that.

Will the Minister agree also that what we are seeing with this disaster is a foretaste of what we will see when global warming becomes a serious reality on this planet and flooding occurs, as is predicted, throughout the world, particularly in low-lying areas like the Maldives, which were affected by the tsunami? The Minister said we cannot know where emergencies will happen but we do know that they will happen with global warming. Will the Minister agree that we, and foreign ministers throughout the world, must prepare for that eventuality?

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