Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I congratulate Deputy Barrett on his appointment as foreign affairs spokesperson. I acknowledge the merits of the proposal referred to by the Deputy which aims to harness the skills and experience of Irish people facing a period of unemployment to benefit communities in the developing world. The Government is open to consideration of innovative approaches which would enhance Ireland's national contribution to the achievement of the millennium development goals. We have paid particular attention over the past 18 months to the encouragement of volunteering in the developing world. Through the aid programme, which is administered by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Government is funding the work of some 1,300 development workers, volunteers and missionaries in developing countries. Their work is an important and greatly valued aspect of the overall Irish contribution towards the achievement of the millennium development goals by 2015.

Our support for volunteering recognises the unique contribution volunteers can make to development. The Irish Aid volunteering and information centre in Dublin was established in 2008 to promote and facilitate responsible volunteering. Since April of last year the centre has organised four volunteering fairs - three in Dublin and one in Cork - to highlight and promote opportunities to volunteer with the main development and humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organisations. More than 1,000 people have attended the fairs, the most recent of which was held in September. Twenty-seven volunteering organisations participated, recruiting teachers, medical personnel, engineers and other volunteers to work on construction in developing countries.

Irish Aid is working closely with volunteering organisations to identify placements which will promote development in the poorest countries and provide volunteers with an opportunity to make a real contribution in the fight against poverty and hunger. It is important to ensure that all volunteering assignments are suited to an individual's capacity and experience and are of benefit to the community they travel to in the developing world. It is also important to address possible health, safety and security risks and to ensure volunteers and the organisations they work with recognise the complexity of the challenge of working in some of the poorest countries in the world.

The Government has also established a rapid response corps to enable members of the public with specific skills to assist in humanitarian crises, such as the recovery effort following the earthquake in Haiti in January. Members of the corps have specialised skills in areas such as logistics, engineering, and water and sanitation and are available for secondment at short notice to the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations in emergency situations. The Department of Foreign Affairs is working to expand the expertise available to the corps, and a new recruitment round will be held in 2011.

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