Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will say the non-activity. I do not know what is going on, but we have no active government sitting and engaging. I am not blaming one side over the other; I am just indicating how fragile it is, as we know from the negotiations last week with the Tánaiste, the briefing on Brexit and what the Taoiseach said last night. It was dearly fought for and hard earned. Our former colleague, Dr. Martin Mansergh, was a negotiator and worked on that peace agreement, as did many others, including Teachta Adams, Mr. Martin McGuinness and Fr. Alex Reid. We know how delicate the situation is. We saw what happened last weekend in Derry on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the ambush at Soloheadbeg. We are never that far away from mayhem, madness and the derailing of the process.

I am very concerned that money can be misdirected within and around the perimeters of NGOs. It is money given by Irish taxpayers for a specific purpose in order to take our rightful place in the world by supporting initiatives, but some organisations get carried away. Perhaps some have been hijacked and skewed, not by a deliberate policy, but it can happen. We have seen how money from abroad was used to interfere in the democratic process in this country. We can also see it in how money is used at home, given that very wealthy entrepreneurs now control half of what we do. We must be careful in our spending and providing support to protect our image. Will they be fair and transparent and achieve what the House has voted for? In what the Tánaiste, in his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and his colleagues sign up to with the European Union and other international agencies we must get bang for our buck, not just in financial terms but also in terms of the integrity of the process. Above all, there must be accountability for the funding provided.

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