Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Many of us are very supportive of the work Irish Aid does in Uganda and of the life-changing improvements its work has brought to the Ugandan people, especially in the areas of education, health care and agriculture. This work is important to some of the most vulnerable people in the world. The Minister of State referred to producing the report by the summer. Is he referring to our summer? If so, we could be waiting some time by the look of the weather outside? Can the Minister of State give an indication of when it will be produced?

Many people are concerned about the impact of the suspension. Is anything happening to front-line services or to those working on the ground? The Minister of State indicated that the funding is no longer being channelled through the Ugandan Government but through the relevant NGO. In what way has this impacted on the delivery? Irish Aid has put several proposals to the Ugandan Government. Have these been acted on?

There has been an interesting development for parliamentarians. A group from this House has come together to consider options for various countries in Africa. Does the Minister of State believe that twinning and the development of other interests of Members with their counterparts in the DRC and other countries would be a positive development?

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