Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

To pick up on the point about the Irish response, which is where we need to focus, the UN now has a mission on the ground which is co-ordinating the effort in the three most affected countries. The effectiveness of that response is as a result of an Irish influence on the ground because we are one of the few countries in the world that has a bilateral relationship with Sierra Leone - in other words, we have an embassy there. I would acknowledge the role of Irish workers, including our embassy staff, working on the ground with our agencies, such as GOAL and Concern. There are Irish workers on the ground who are having a major impact. We acknowledge the role of the Cubans and every other nation state for the workers they have sent but Irish workers are not only influencing at Government level, they are also influencing at United Nations level and they are an integral part of the response. Slowly but surely that impact is being felt in that we are getting ahead of it. It is important to note that the Irish taxpayers moneys being disbursed are staving off a humanitarian crisis but also buttressing existing health systems on the ground.

See this speech in context