Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

There is a need to retain a sense of accountability. Preliminary reports on the tsunami spending indicate that in a fair number of cases money — not necessarily Irish money but generally — was not particularly well spent. There are problems. If one imports food from the rest of the world, does one wipe out local producers? If one imports textiles, blankets and so on, does one wipe out local capacity?

Some years ago, a course was run by a very eminent Irish-American physician, Dr. Cahill, in the College of Surgeons to prepare for disasters. Codes of conduct regarding disasters, especially for agencies, were drawn up. That has not happened in recent years and perhaps the Department should consider supporting it. By their nature, people in non-governmental organisations move on over a six or ten-year period. Often they are relatively young. I thought the course I referred to was quite useful.

We also have the efforts of the Army in the Curragh regarding the UN. Since the job is primarily for armies, we should consider drawing together like-minded countries and specialising in the development of rapid reaction capacity. Some years ago regulations for people such as nurses and doctors were changed to provide for emergency leave of absence, Ireland being very flexible in that regard. We have several agencies such as Concern particularly known for a high-quality, thought-out approach to the aftermath of a disaster.

Global warming is relevant to the kinds of dreadful disasters besetting countries in Central America. We had hurricane Mitch and now we have hurricane Stan. They come in cycles and can be predicted. Working in concert with the countries of Latin America, particularly South America, and also with the United States, which have considerable capacity, Ireland should seek input into preparedness and rapid reaction. People in the US are still coming to terms with what did not happen in the aftermath of the destruction of New Orleans. The US army corps of engineers is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure, and it is interesting that it is only that corps that is really able to replace it. The United States itself has entered a period of reflection regarding how it was unable to cope.

I welcome the response of the Minister and the Department. There is a very large Pakistani community in Ireland, which I know has been to the fore in seeking to help fellow countrymen at home. It makes a great contribution to business and people working here. They have integrated very well, but most retain strong ties with home. Many are now happily married to Irish people, so there is a very large Irish-Pakistani community. I offer my condolences on behalf of the Labour Party.

While the Indian part of Kashmir was affected to some extent, it was on nothing like the scale of what happened in Pakistan. It is interesting to reflect that, after independence more than 50 years ago, the Indians decided that they would have a national capacity to respond to the regular famines that then beset the country. That phenomenon of widespread famine has largely been dealt with by the Indian Government. Similarly, although the scale of the disaster was smaller, it has been able to provide a very extensive response in those areas of India affected by the disaster. There is local knowledge and expertise that we should respect and utilise.

Central America will be the cockpit of the adverse and extraordinary weather caused by global warming. The Irish development programme should seek a much more structured and extensive programme regarding the countries of Central America and several critical issues that face not only them but also South American ones, including what is happening to indigenous people. That is at the cutting edge of democratisation and respect for human rights. Unfortunately, the vast bulk of people affected by the dreadful consequences of the mudslides and so on are indigenous.

I know that the Minister is writing a White Paper and conducting a review of the principles of the Irish aid programme. I certainly hope that he will find space for a programme, in the context of the extra funds eventually made available by the Government, to include Latin America in a considered fashion and talk to people in the region about their priorities. He must also bear in mind the needs of indigenous communities in that region.

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