Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister of State agree that in the region of 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day and that the dramatic increase in food prices has the potential to put another 100 million people in this category? It is estimated that it will set back by a full decade the policy of trying to bring people out of the poverty trap.

The WFP is one of the most worthwhile programmes out there. I plead with the Minister to consider moving money from some of our programme countries where we cannot find out what happens to much of the money . For example, Tanzania is to get in the region of €130 million over the next four or five years. Several Ministers out there are currently under investigation for corruption. Until such time as we are satisfied that such moneys are being spent the way we want them to be spent, I ask the Minister of State to consider moving money from the normal programme to the WFP. We give in the region of €20 million between Irish Aid and agriculture, which feeds 19 million people.

Does the Minister agree that very often if a popular theory takes off, we fail to analyse it? There is a conflict on this planet between climate change and the production of food. We cannot have it every way and we need to analyse this. Most people who express concern about climate change have a cause for concern. The Minister of State, Deputy Roche, will be familiar with this. However, very often, the same people are opposed to the concept of GM foods. We must look at science and technology. It is not necessary to increase the amount of land under cultivation but we must make it more productive.

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