Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A white coat is sounds better than a white flag. Coming from a man who wears the white jersey most Sundays, I suppose a white coat is entirely appropriate for a Kildare.

I thank Deputy Lawlor for his question. I acknowledge the work of the many NGOs in this area and people from the religious sector, many of whom have enhanced the reputation of Ireland overseas, particularly in Africa, over a long number of years. I also acknowledge the work of the overseas aid unit. The Department obtains a measure of feedback from the many lesson-learning meetings and that feedback is almost uniformly positive. We look directly to the relevance of our experience in Northern Ireland and our own conflict situation and peace process.

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