Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to move the discussion to a more global arena and look at some of the global aspects to Brexit. I hope these issues, some of which we have discussed recently at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence will be priorities for the European Council. My first issue is the implications of Brexit for the UK's contribution to humanitarian aid. This is not getting very much attention but the UK was a major contributor to the EU's development fund and its was a respected voice in the development of policy at times. There will be a major loss to the budget and we discussed the figures at the recent committee meeting. The question is whether the shortfall will be made up by other EU members. EU funding comes through the EU budget and the European development fund and Britain contributed 13.4% to this budget last year, amounting to €1.23 billion out of a total of €9 billion. The UK's share of the development fund was €4.48 billion out of a total of €30 billion. These are sizeable contributions and there are serious questions regarding what is going to happen if they are no longer going to be available to the poorest countries in the world.

There are also questions in respect of the absence of Britain from the EU table when it comes to development policy. Britain's was a voice in the argument that development co-operation should focus strongly on the root causes of migration, which are poverty, abuse of human rights, land grabs and climate change. No one can deny the importance of those matters. People should have to leave their countries of origin because they are hungry, cannot find work, have had their lands taken away or are subjected to human rights abuses because of their gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

There are major questions regarding the EU development fund and the trust fund in the context of moneys going to countries that are instrumental in human rights abuses. Instead of tackling the root causes of migration, they appear to leave people in abject circumstances so that they do not intrude on our comfortable existence. We need greater transparency and accountability on exactly where EU development fund and trust fund moneys are going.

We recently witnessed the regularisation of thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants in Morocco, where, I understand, they are very welcome. This, however, cannot be at the expense of the Sahwari people. A recent European Court of Justice ruling on an agricultural deal treated the disputed territory of Western Sahara as independent from Morocco and, suddenly, there was a bigger influx of these migrants into Europe.

One area in respect of which the UK will not be missed is the fact that, under the past two Tory Governments, its policy has been leading to more privatisation of aid. At least Ireland is holding on to its reputation for untied aid. With the British Government gone from policy formulation, we might have a greater emphasis on untied aid, so that aid will be for the betterment of the receiver rather than for the economic benefit of the donor. British aid had become more and more tied to private finance. Irish NGOs have been much stronger in the context of trade deals and economic partnership agreements, EPAs, but there are major questions over Britain's trade deals and the issue of human and workers' rights. There are voices in Britain highlighting this and concerns are emerging about the appearance of a British empire part 2, in which deals will be done with dictators who abuse human rights. I read an article about Britain in The Guardianrecently which states, "A ruling elite tortured by its inability to rule the world, which believes such a role is its birthright, can still make dangerous decisions."

If the British are not in the EU, there is far more scope for them to do that.

We are looking increasingly at the potential positive outcomes for Ireland from Brexit, including the possibility of international financial sector firms moving here. It was estimated recently that if 1% of companies moved here, it would mean an extra 6,000 jobs.

It is good to see a growing consensus across Europe for further transparency on tax issues. That means public country-by-country reporting, which we seem to be resisting. We appear to be supportive of country-by-country reporting but not publicly. As such, there is a need for enhanced regulation and oversight of our tax policies because our reputation is already tarnished as a result of the term "tax haven" being applied to Ireland. Those financial and taxation practices have an impact on developing countries and, as such, the question is whether we and the EU are committed to tax justice and whether it will be a feature at Council meetings going forward. The EU is the largest contributor to ODA, but UN figures show that developing countries lose more money through tax dodging than they gain in aid. The figure in this regard is $100 billion annually. As such, the question is about policy coherence.

In respect of refugees, Oxfam tells us that the wealthiest countries in the world host just 9% of the global refugee population. There are countries in the EU with very regressive policies on refugees. The mantra seems to be "good migration management", which means that the EU trust fund is being used for security and border management by states with appalling human rights records. This is at a time when certain African countries face the horror of famine. One country is already experiencing a famine and three others are on the brink. Where is the awareness and willingness to cope with these matters at European Council level? I am talking about northern Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. The UN has designated what Yemen is experiencing as the worst humanitarian crisis across the globe, with 70% of the population depending on humanitarian assistance.

The conflict in Yemen is fuelled by official arms sales by some EU countries and other western states, primarily the UK and the USA. Will that be raised at the European Council meeting this week as well as at UN level? Will Ireland be an influential voice to stop countries selling arms, which practice is fuelling the conflict, and will we condemn sales of arms to Saudi Arabia by the UK and other member states? Where are the voices of the EU and Irish ambassadors to Saudi Arabia and what is our embassy there doing? Is it making known the concerns about this? There will be a Yemen donor conference in Geneva this month and it is important for our Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to attend. If he does, will his be a strong voice on these matters?

As of 15 March 2017, the humanitarian response plan is only 7% funded. Ireland has been very strong in its commitment to humanitarian disasters. However, while we are talking about narrow interests here, there are people in certain countries in the world who are starving. There are hundreds of thousands of malnourished children. Where stands the European Council on that? It is providing funding, but is that funding going to the right places?

Finally, I return to Palestine. The EU is demanding that Israel put an end to the demolition of Palestinian homes in Area C of the West Bank at the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar where there will be a forced transfer of residents in violation of the Article 49 of the Geneva Convention. Article 49 prohibits individual or mass forcible transfers as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territories of the occupying power or any other country, occupied or not. Nevertheless, the European Council is not a voice in that regard. While it says the words, it is not taking matters further. What can the European Council do to protect these Bedouin people and to uphold and respect the Geneva Convention? Palestinian human rights organisations confirm that 97 Palestinian people, including 36 children, were killed in the West Bank and Gaza in the past year alone. A hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners is impending. I acknowledge those Israeli groups and individuals who do not subscribe to what has been going on in their country. However, the fact is that Europe is sustaining illegal settlements.

There are a number of countries which do not have embassies in Ireland but whose ambassadors to Britain also present credentials here. That is an important link with those countries. Are there any plans to deal with that issue in light of Brexit?

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