Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, to the House. I thank him for this excellent White Paper and congratulate him on the manner in which he has taken to his brief and the energy and enthusiasm he has shown in his work. He and his staff are to be commended.

Those who work with Irish Aid at home and abroad must be complimented on the way in which they carry out their work. I also commend the public on their generosity in contributing from their own pockets whenever a disaster occurs anywhere in the world and, more generally, through their tax contributions which allow aid to be distributed by the Government through various agencies in different locations. It is difficult for us to appreciate the terrible hardship people must endure in some parts of the world, whether through famine, war or natural disasters. This reality has been brought home to us on many occasions. The tsunami of St. Stephen's Day 2004, for instance, showed us how well the Irish people can rally when others are in need.

The White Paper presents a strategy that we must work on in coming years. At The UN Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders from developed and developing countries, including the Taoiseach, adopted the millennium development goals. Those goals are as important today as they were then, and I look forward to their implementation. The White Paper includes a commitment that they will be fulfilled by 2015. I would like to see that date brought forward, if possible, because their implementation will make an enormous difference. Nothing happens overnight and I recognise that progress takes time. However, whatever can be done to bring them to fruition is welcome. Many parts of the world are in need of aid and it is impossible to assist every deserving cause. We must focus on particular areas and that is what we are doing through our various programmes.

As it is impossible to comment on everything in the White Paper, I will focus on a number of issues. In regard to health, the White Paper states:

The entitlement of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is the fundamental human right. While the state of health globally is improving, there is still an unacceptable level of preventable illness and death. In 2005, more than 12 million children died before their fifth birthday and 500,000 women died from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.

These figures are startling. It is difficult to comprehend the deaths of so many children. We all know the extent of the outcry that would arise if any number of children in this country were to die of starvation. We must keep in mind that children are dying every minute in other countries, either through starvation or neglect of one type or another. Many parents are obliged to stand by and watch their children die while, in many cases, they themselves are dying. The deaths of 500,000 women through complications of pregnancy and childbirth are preventable. We must ensure help is available to as many of these women as possible.

Overseas development aid is critical for the campaign to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights. Family planning allows families to invest more in each child's nutrition, health and education. Prenatal care and the ability to prevent high-risk births helps reduce child mortality. Preventing unplanned pregnancies and providing care in pregnancy and childbirth saves women's lives. Sexual and reproductive health programmes help prevent HIV-AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.

For many people, particularly women, access to information, health care services and education is a major factor. Last year, I was honoured to be part of a group of parliamentarians from throughout Europe who travelled with the Inter-European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development to examine the reproductive and sexual health policies of Peru and Brazil. Although I have never travelled to Africa, I have listened to the experiences of those who have been there. These experiences tell of the dreadful conditions in which people must live. To see at first hand the conditions many families endure in Peru and Brazil was an eye-opening experience.

During our trip, we met officials from the UNFPA, politicians, NGOs, religious leaders and local community groups who work with children, adolescents and those suffering with HIV-AIDS. The NGOs are doing wonderful work. Ireland does not directly intervene in Latin America but we provide assistance to NGOs there. I could see this money is being well spent in helping support the projects undertaken by NGOs in the area. They are dealing with very poor people. While there is a great mix of people in Peru and Brazil, the difference between the wealthy and the poor is enormous. We visited the poor who live in little wooden huts on the side of mountains with no sanitation. One can imagine what happens when it rains. Families live in one-roomed wooden huts and one can imagine the problems which result. We met families and various local community groups and young girls, in particular, are at great risk.

I refer to the section in the White Paper entitled, Building Better Government and Combating Corruption. That is very important, especially in the case of Peru and Brazil. I am concerned about the influence of the Roman Catholic hierarchy on sexual and reproductive health in these countries. We should call for the separation of church and state when church interferes in matters of sexuality and health care. I am thinking of the provision of contraceptives in that area. Such interference does nothing for the welfare of either males or females and particularly impacts on the health of women. I would welcome it if the Minister of State spoke out if he sees interference from any church. I speak, in particular, about my experience in Latin America where there is interference by the Catholic Church in state affairs in the area of health.

I mention with great sadness that the US, especially under President Bush, has reduced the amount of aid it gives to Latin America. Again, it is as a result of President Bush's conservative view in the area of sexual and reproductive health.