Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. There is an obligation on the Government to act and there is a similar obligation on us as parliamentarians to ask for a motion before the next meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as we cannot allow discrimination to continue with regard to sexual orientation. We accept that people have and will be killed as a consequence of this legislation, and I hope the Government can act. I accept the options are limited with regard to aid, and the Minister of State's reply indicates that we cannot necessarily go after some of the programmes, but it is important that on a European Union, United Nations and parliamentary level we do not allow this to become part of a movement across certain continents, as Deputy Crowe indicated. Such a movement could have regressive legislation depriving people of their rights and entitlements.

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