Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I too welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, to the House. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate tonight, which is an issue particularly close to my heart.

It is clear that we in Ireland, a country that has suffered its own share of poverty and famine, have a special obligation to contribute to a more just world and the Irish aid programme is a key part. We can all be proud of the excellent work of Development Cooperation Ireland, the agency responsible. It is now under the good leadership of the Minister of State, having previously been the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt. There has been a special focus on quality rather than quantity, while at the same time having a sustained increase in the budget for overseas development over the past five years. Although members of the Opposition seem to think that the problems of the developing world can be addressed by throwing more money in their direction, the Government has focused on ensuring that Irish taxpayers' money makes a difference on the ground in some of the world's poorest regions.

I am proud to say that I speak from experience on this matter. I have visited one of the Irish programme countries, Lesotho, on two occasions. I know that the Minister of State returned from there only a few weeks ago. It is a small country in southern Africa and our first priority country when we commenced the development co-operation programme back in the 1970s. However, notwithstanding our presence in Lesotho for almost 30 years, it is still among the poorest in the world. What does that tell us? It tells me very clearly that money is not all that is needed. It is also clear that there are no easy answers to the problem of world poverty and those who claim otherwise are not being honest and simply do not understand the complex nature of the deep poverty in Africa and elsewhere. The average African is now poorer than 30 years ago, notwithstanding the billions of dollars in aid given to the continent over the period.

Something more must be done. We need a fresh type of international partnership, innovation and new thinking based not on the charity model but on the understanding that international co-operation is about partnership and solidarity between the rich countries of the north and the poorer ones of the south. In Ireland we can see the emergence of a new recognition among our European partners and those in the United States that conditions in the rest of the world really matter economically, ethically and in security terms. We know that the best way to counter international terrorism is through the support and development of peace and security. They are the most important links in any chain.

I know from my visit to Lesotho that the Irish programme is doing just that and I have seen that we are putting programmes in place that support the basic needs for access to health care, education and clean water. I have visited, as I am sure the Minister of State has, schools and clinics built with Irish taxpayers' money. Sadly, I have also visited the orphanages established to cope with the unfortunate increase in the number of orphans as a result of HIV-AIDS, which is rampant in that little country.

In that context, it is only fair to mention the upcoming visit of the president of Lesotho next week, in which I know the Minister of State is involved. It is the first official visit from that country. It goes back to when the Taoiseach visited Lesotho in 2000. When I was there, people would bow before one to give thanks for the wonderful work that one was doing for them. I know how committed the Minister of State is, having spoken to him on many levels about overseas development and his support for it. I know that the Government is committed. Like other speakers from this side, I feel that we should be talking more about congratulating ourselves on the wonderful structure that we have in place and how the programme is working out. When one talks to NGOs and the recipients of that aid on the ground, one sees that it works. Perhaps if the Opposition had thought about quality rather than quantity, it would not have tabled this motion tonight.