Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ministers of State, Deputies Doyle and Canney, for sharing time.

I acknowledge the budget for the diaspora being kept at the same level as last year's. This is an important acknowledgement of the ongoing work on our emigrant support programme and the other work in which we are involved in working with Irish groups throughout the world.

I also acknowledge the continued commitment of the Government to increase the overseas development aid budget by another €10 million this year. I appreciate that this represents a decrease in spending as a percentage of GDP as the economy expands, but it is €10 million extra. The aid budget is now €651 million against a backdrop where, since 2011, the taxpayer has contributed approximately €4.5 billion during very tough years and extremely difficult economic times. This is a testament to the commitment of the Irish people, and we have a responsibility as legislators to continue that pattern and that pathway. However, 0.7% is still the target. If we were to reach it today, we would be talking about €930 million. That is just short of €1 billion.

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Everybody is realistic and realises that cannot happen overnight. I want to work with my colleagues across parties, and with the stakeholders, the NGOs and the officials in Irish Aid, on a pathway towards achieving the 0.7% target over time. I make that call today.

People are aware of the many figures and statistics that are flying around. Some 65 million people have been displaced because of conflict today and 795 million are affected by hunger in their daily lives. The statistics are alarming. The Irish people understand that and know we have to do something. We need to be proactive in that work. I thank all the officials in my section and in Irish Aid for their continued work and their continued open-mindedness in trying to do things differently and work in different ways trying to link different aspects and not just focusing on development or humanitarian work in isolation. There are intrinsic linkages that they are looking to work on as well.

Present in the Visitors Gallery today is Fr. Padraig Devine, a Roscommon man, who works with the Shalom centre in Nairobi in Kenya. That centre is looking at ways to address the root causes of conflict. We have our own story to tell of going from conflict to peace in this country. We can add to that conversation. I look forward to deliberations in Nairobi at the end of November where we are bringing stakeholders together. The Shalom centre will be centrally involved in that.

I appreciate that we have issues in our country. There is a commitment within the Irish psyche to continue to work and to help people who are most disadvantaged, including the 80 million children whose education is affected on a day-to-day basis. We have a commitment and a responsibility.

Tá an dualgas orainn uilig. We all have a responsibility don chéad ghlúin eile. We have that responsibility to the next generation. Téann sé ó ghlúin go glúin. Tugaim m’aitheantas arís do na hAirí, na Teachtaí Donohoe agus Noonan, maidir leis an ngealltanas sa bhuiséad do chúnamh forbartha thar lear agus gabhaim mo bhuíochas arís leis na hAirí Stáit, na Teachtaí Canney agus Doyle.

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