Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One of the suggestions made at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade was that there should be a national co-ordinated response to ensure medical or nursing personnel, if willing to travel to the region to use their skills and knowledge in that area, will be facilitated with leave of absence. Will that be considered? Naturally, the co-ordination of funding was raised. As I stated earlier, it was terrifying to listen to those who had been out there in a medical capacity trying to assist the people. We should take the opportunity to compliment sincerely all of those working out there at the coalface, particularly the Irish NGOs and officials from the Department.

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