Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. I offer my deepest sympathy to those affected in Pakistan and Guatemala. I compliment my constituency colleague, the Minister the State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, on his work and initiative. I am a strong supporter of his efforts and have had a long-term interest in the issue of development aid with regard to disasters and more generally. I have a close friendship with Mr. Chris Flood, who I succeeded in the Dáil, and who has done considerable work in this area. He was of great assistance to the Minister of State and the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of the tsunami disaster when he became the Irish envoy and he has made an ongoing contribution to the debate on development aid.

Some colleagues have made points bordering on party political and I am not sure it should be that type of debate. It is important we express solidarity in Parliament and I compliment those who have arranged this debate. Reference has been made to the Pakistani community in Ireland and Dublin. Many Pakistani families reside in my constituency, particularly in the Tallaght area. I have spoken to some of them in my local parish. In my local school, St. Mark's, there is an international community and a considerable percentage of schoolchildren are from different countries, including Pakistan. They have been upset by events in their country, particularly in respect of deaths of children. Pictures and reports from Pakistan were particularly moving. A report on RTE's "Morning Ireland" programme could not have failed to move people as it presented the situation in a graphic way.

When news of these disasters emerged, I was on a parliamentary trip to Ukraine. As other colleagues have pointed out, Ireland is now proud to be a serious member of the international community. We must play a role in this regard and must take a lead in response to disasters. I am glad the Government has been particularly responsive.

The Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, was in my local area, Tallaght, on Monday afternoon. He took the opportunity to brief journalists on what the Government was doing. I was struck by his demeanour as he represented the concerns felt by all. Others have called for an increase in the money earmarked for aid, €3 million for Pakistan and €1 million for America. I am confident the Department will respond as it did to the Asian tsunami, the Government will not be found wanting and we will take our role in the international community seriously.

I was impressed by many points made by the Minister of State. I share his shock and sadness and have already made contact with members of the Pakistani community in the Tallaght area. They appreciate the response of local people and as churchgoers focus on subjects of prayer this weekend the people of Pakistan and the South American states will be on our minds.

I hope something positive can emerge from this tragedy. I visited a school last week to speak on road safety and one child made a profound comment, she said road safety was not just a matter for today nor for this week. This is a theme we should remember. Disasters such as mudslides and earthquakes bring these matters to world attention and to people's psyches. I am glad there has been a correction of media coverage of the disasters, as it appeared to have slipped off television screens after a few days. I searched for text on this for a few days and it seems we take tragedy for granted. The same logic applies to killings in Iraq and this is wrong. We should be concerned about loss of lives and devastation of communities. The international media must understand this is worthy of our attention. In recent days news bulletins and news agencies have refocused on the disaster.

When one watches the television and sees the way children are suffering it is important to see a political response to the disaster. I urge the Minister of State to convey these sentiments to the ambassador and I am pleased to see the apology from the President of Pakistan for the lack of response. Such apologies are important as people are the priority and their needs must be met, especially when they are dying. The total number of dead and people affected will be significant.

It struck me during the week that in this 21st century, when we can use our phones to send text messages across the world, communication in a region in Pakistan remains so difficult. I am sure the position is the same in Guatemala. I realise there are political and boundary issues relating to different countries but people cannot get the information and it appears it may be some time before we know how many people died in some of those areas. That is something that should affect us and I hope the Government, through the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, will continue to convey that message. As ever, the Irish people will be responsive to the need following this tragedy. The Government is showing a clear lead in that regard and I hope the various aid agencies will take advantage of the generosity of the Irish people, who are represented in communities throughout the country.

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate and support the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, in what he is attempting to do. As I said, it is important that we not only join the international community in mourning the huge loss of life in these regions but also play our part as a serious member of the international community. I hope all of us will be brave enough to admit we will close our eyes in the next few days and pray for the people concerned and the relief effort.

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