Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It feels like every day we are seeing more horror around the world. At the weekend, we saw the appalling earthquake and loss of life in Myanmar. There is also the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians by Israel in Gaza and the continued bombardment of Ukraine by Russia. At this time, it is particularly concerning to see the rowing back across the world of aid programmes, with UNRWA under attack and, of course, with Donald Trump's cuts to USAID, which are triggering a global public health crisis. Even our nearest neighbour, Britain, is winding down aid budgets. How is the Government going to act to stem this growing trend? Can the Taoiseach provide a commitment that Irish Aid programmes will continue to be funded in an effective manner? We are all conscious that job losses are imminent in Irish Aid organisations as result of the USAID cuts. However, we need to ensure that our aid budgets remain robust. I ask for a commitment from the Taoiseach at this very worrying time.

See this speech in context