Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

One of the millennium goals was to improve the standard of education. Therefore one needs teachers and buildings. If one provides assistance in that area alone, never mind the whole area of health which is also included in the millennium goals, one must deal with more than euro and dollars. Surely we have gone beyond the point where it is just about dollars. Can we not provide assistance in the form of individuals, particularly when we have so many qualified people? I am sure a high percentage of qualified people would be only too willing to consider engaging in a properly structured, and not ad hoc, programme. That is where legislation similar to that in Australia could come into play. We need a properly structured programme whereby these people could sign up to 12 months or longer. There may be professional people in the public service who might want to seek leave of absence for a period or people in farming might want to volunteer. Targets could be met in this way.

It is not just about money. We should seek to have our contribution measured by way of personal and professional involvement. This should be part and parcel of any target that is set.

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