Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. He will agree that the UN Secretary General has rightly expressed his urgent concern regarding the escalation of events in Syria and the failure to put the interests of refugees first. When the Taoiseach met Ban Ki-moon, I am sure the fact Syria represents the largest humanitarian disaster for decades must have weighed on their minds. It is the direct result of a brutal regime which would not let its own people have even very basic freedoms. Unfortunately, some countries that see the spread of democracy as a threat have worked to prop up the regime and the situation has radicalised. As they face into the winter, the position of the refugees is desperate. We have to respond generously to those who have fled to Europe seeking safety and shelter.

It seems the scale of the response is underwhelming. Even in Ireland we are looking, at best, at 200 before the end of the year; 100 at the very beginning of the year and 100 at the end of the year, despite all the hype about thousands and so on. People much prefer more precise figures and the real story as opposed to headlines that scream out 3,000 and 4,000, when there does not appear to be any prospect of that, regardless of whether one agrees with it. There is no scheduling and no plan has been published regarding how set numbers will be achieved.

The bottom line is whether, in the Taoiseach's discussions with Ban Ki-moon, the more important issue of addressing the needs of the millions in camps in the region was raised. The failure to address these needs is one of the reasons so many people risk so much in undertaking the dangerous journey to Europe. They would not be coming to Europe if the situation were made more habitable in the camps themselves in terms of education, work, quality of life, and so on. Would the Taoiseach accept that the response supporting displaced people in and around Syria has failed and that we now need something far more ambitious from Europe in that regard? The recent decision of the European Council gives humanitarian support in the region only a fraction of the amount being spent on trying to contain the issue in Europe. Would the Taoiseach agree that is reflective of perverse priorities? The bulk of Europe's resources should go to improving the situation in the camps in order that the motivation to leave them and migrate to Europe would not be as strong as it is. Were there any discussions about the United States playing a role by taking some people from this war-torn region?

The Taoiseach knows my second question deals with the new wave of repression being directed by some countries in Africa against their lesbian and gay citizens. I refer to Uganda in particular and its intolerance of homosexuality and ask that the Taoiseach raise that issue with Ban Ki-moon. It is the nature of extreme populists that they will seek to find enemies within and try to get some moral hysteria going. The dangers faced by gay and lesbian people in many African countries have become significantly worse in recent years. Would the Taoiseach agree that the United Nations should take a lead role in combatting this discrimination and repression?

Would the Taoiseach also agree with the action of some donors in insisting that no funding can go to any organisation that supports the repression of lesbian and gay people? This is an issue we should also consider. Like many donor countries, we do put even very basic conditions pertaining to democracy and governance issues on aid and seek to bring about change for the better in this respect. This issue is one where it is legitimate and moral to leverage something from the governments in terms of their approach and particularly the repressive attitude towards the gay and lesbian community in African countries. We donate quite a significant sum of money from our Irish Aid programme to Africa, especially to Uganda, and some of the programmes are very good, especially in education. We do a hell of a lot in terms of primary school participation in Uganda. I have been there in that context. However, we cannot run parallel silos in terms of supporting those programmes while turning a blind eye to the unacceptable repression, discrimination and almost state oppression faced by the gay community in Uganda and across Africa generally.

In terms of climate change, would the Taoiseach accept that the Government is being quite tardy and lacking in ambition in respect of our contribution to the wider debate on this?

See this speech in context