Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

First, I share the views of the Deputy on the World Food Programme. This follows on from our discussion on the previous question, that world food prices is a major concern to the Deputy. That concern is very much shared on the Government side for the reasons I have explained.

We are already major contributors to the World Food Programme but I also see avenues available to us in terms of diverting additional moneys within our existing programme to the agricultural area. We already have a relatively high proportion of our aid going directly into agriculture through direct aid but also through our NGOs. Food security and supply will in the coming years become the key issue in international aid. We can explore that further.

Second, I take fully Deputy Timmins's points about the smaller NGOs. The reason I say so is that I believe such micro projects have an enormous capacity to inculcate and engender, particularly in young people, a sense of philanthropy and international development aid which in the long term may pay rich dividends for the country.

I am conscious of their interaction with Irish Aid. I met with representatives of one of those smaller projects earlier today and I can see the sort of road blocks of which the Deputy spoke. That is one of the matters I will examine over the coming months.

See this speech in context