Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus roimh na hAirí Stáit nua atá in éineacht leis, na Teachtaí Byrne agus Brophy. Tá súil agam go dtiocfaidh feabhas mór ar an saol atá againn go léir de bharr an obair a bheidh á déanamh acu.

I pay tribute in particular to our foreign service. When I use the word "service" I mean it in the best possible way. We can imagine a port city on the edge of the Amazon with a population of more than 400,000 people where a small group of Europeans are trapped during the Covid emergency. It is a city that cannot be reached by road but only by air or water. The citizens are stressed and kept in a very small area, which they could only leave to go to a shop once every so often. They are concerned. They contacted me and I contacted the ambassador with responsibility for Peru, Ambassador Gleeson, who happened to be in Chile. He moved Heaven and earth to get those people home. His work, commitment and dedication in the way he rang those people, assured them and reassured them, and his work with the network the Minister and other European Ministers got involved in to make sure that all of our citizens got home safely, epitomises everything that is good about the service we provide. I commend all of our ambassadors and their staff and the Minister's staff and office also.

In terms of Ireland's record in the United Nations, 129 of the 191 nations in the United Nations supported our application to be a member of the United Nations Security Council. They did that because we are champions on issues like fighting poverty, inequality, the effects of climate change and standing up for human rights. As a country that was dominated by a foreign country for so long, we have a very important investment in foreign aid. Because of our history and affinity with oppressed people Ireland stands No. 1 in my view and deserves the full support of this Parliament in its success and the work they have done. I would like to compliment a Drogheda lady, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, who has done fantastic work in achieving that wonderful success.

There was commentary in a newspaper recently about IDA Ireland expecting a 40% drop in foreign direct investment in the years to come. In all the embassies I have been in throughout the world I have been impressed with the cohesion, commitment and professionalism, not just of our diplomats but also people from IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland and their associates who are active 24-7 in pushing the name of Ireland and the investment opportunities that can be made by investing in our country. I would not underestimate the importance of that connection, the work they do or their influence. Notwithstanding the Brexit crisis and all our concerns, the Minister has a huge task, as do his Ministers of State, but we are well up to that challenge of solving the problem of Brexit.

Ultimately, the work, commitment and passion that the Minister and his Department have shown, and all the parties in Northern Ireland, in bringing peace to our country and in trying to ensure that the Northern Executive functions well, and the North-South Ministerial Council meetings that will take place shortly, are a direct result of the input, commitment and professionalism of his Department. I commend the Estimate.

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