Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

My friends did not know what I was talking about, but they knew about the tsunami disaster. They know that we must give money to eradicate the poverty among poor nations. They want to help. However, they asked how the money we allocate is being spent. Maybe we have not reached our target but perhaps some of the money going to ODA annually is not being properly spent or properly managed. I do not know, but questions are being asked.

I should have started by welcoming the Minister of State to the house and wishing him well. I know he will do a good job. However, the White Paper of which he speaks may be another way of creating awareness so that the public may say that while we have not reached our target we will do so. The public would like to know what we are doing in terms of overseas aid. I want to talk to some group about this matter but my knowledge has been limited. The Minister of State should use his time to tell the world that Ireland is number five on that contributor list and is as good as the best in reaching out.

I was in South Africa two or three weeks ago. I met missionary workers there who talked about the programmes in which they were involved. I asked them how they became involved. They had to find out about the work through indirect means. I spoke to a teacher recently who had to take early retirement and told her that there was a golden opportunity for someone like her to go abroad to help for two months of the year. She said she loved the idea but did not even know how to go about such matters.

While we talk of the White Paper, the consultative process, the proposals for progress, whether it be on HIV, education, health services, water schemes, sewerage schemes or whatever, there are people who leave work at the age of 55 and do not then want to take up a regular job. They want to change career paths. Here is a golden opportunity to involve people. That is what I want for the money being spent. We all know the commitment is there. We may not have reached it, but quality is about the way in which our money is being spent.