Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I have a reply to read on behalf of the Minister but the Deputy knows what the Minister would say. I want to talk as someone who held the job. There is only one disagreement I have with what the Deputy has said. He said that hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk. I think it is millions. I have seen these issues at first hand. I have travelled across Africa. Irish Aid and our NGOs do an incredible job. The scale, breadth and depth of what USAID was doing on the ground was one of the largest operations in the world, if not the largest. It was unmatched. The absolute devastation of USAID, and the impact it will have on the countries the Deputy so eloquently mentioned in his contribution, cannot be overestimated. It is one of the harshest cuts that the US Administration has introduced. It does not receive enough attention on a global basis because of what else is happening but it goes right to the heart of those people who will pay the price. They are the poorest children and people in the poorest countries across the world. The Irish Government is conscious of that. We are going to work with our NGOs and the UN partnerships we have.

We are not in a position, and very few countries in the world are in a position, to make up the damage that has been done by the cuts to USAID. However, I know the commitment is there, having worked in the Department and seen that commitment in the staff and people within the Department, on the Irish Aid side, and in the incredible work being done by our NGOs. As the Deputy rightly mentioned, many people give tirelessly of their time, lives and careers to work in this space that includes some great agencies, including Concern and GOAL, etc. To see those jobs being lost and wiped out is devastating. I hope that collectively, on a European and international level, through UN involvement, and in working to see what we can do within our own Government commitments, we can, in whatever way possible, work with the agencies to have an impact on what is happening. As I said, I do not think any country would ever be able to compensate for the devastating impact of what has happened to USAID.

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