Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I wish to share time with Deputies Finian McGrath, Gormley and Morgan.

As a contributor to the Third World, Ireland can be seen as one of the very generous nations in terms of finance and our people, both on a voluntary and missionary basis. We have spread right across the Third World, and we have missionaries in the developed world. As a small nation we are punching well above our weight in helping the needy of the world.

However, now that we are expected to give a fixed amount of our GDP, we should reassure the people that they are getting full value for money. They should be assured the money given in donations is hitting the target, that the donations are not being swallowed up by huge administration costs and that the euro given is equal a euro in aid, and not just 10 cent.

The only way we can achieve this is to concentrate the vast bulk of our donations on one country. That is, each developed country should adopt one of the Third World countries. This is the only way we can go forward. Only then will we know and be able to tackle on a long-term strategic basis the water supply to that country, the harvesting and growing of crops, education and the building of schools, houses and roads. We could follow long-term strategies and be in a real position to judge our value for money. It is the way to go, and I advocate such an approach in preference to a scatter-gun approach.

Year after year we have seen inevitable world tragedies, such as the Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and major earthquakes. I would like to see us with the ability for a rapid response in such cases. We should not have to sit at home looking at the horrendous pictures and wondering what our Government will do about it. These events happen, and we should be in a position to respond rapidly.

With regard to world aid, I would like to refer to Romanian institutions. There is a policy of institutionalising people in Romania. That is not good enough for us in this country. We have the tremendous legacy of what happened in institutions, and now we as a nation are telling Romania it is good enough for it. I would like to see us adopt a policy of "communitisation", as our policies are diametrically opposed to each other. I would like to see the end of this. Although it is well-meaning, the money going there should be better directed.

See this speech in context