Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State for her offer to discuss my proposal with the NGOs. We must respond to the current crisis and the NGOs, which I again commend, are best positioned to provide a response. Nevertheless, there is scope for strategic thinking about how we could deploy some of the many people on the live register with specific skills in this area to address the need to find and develop water infrastructure in the long term. This is not a one-off problem but one which will arise repeatedly in future. The United Nations has stated that focusing on the development of agriculture and water infrastructure is the best means of assisting the countries in question in the long term.

As part of the review of the White Paper on Irish Aid the Minister of State is about to commence, will she engage immediately with the NGOs to determine what we, as a Government, can do to access the skilled labour force that is available? The Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, has noted my wishful thinking.

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