Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I commend Senator Quinn on the point he made regarding waste of food in a time of food shortages. In some ways he may have set in train a new awareness of our responsibility to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Hundreds of thousands of people die from starvation. We see terrible pictures on our television screens from time to time. I am sure we all feel a pang of guilt when putting excess food in the dustbin. If the figures are correct, and the level of food wastage is in the region of 337,000 tonnes per year, there should be a campaign to prevent this and to give assistance to those who need help. Irish people are particularly generous when requested to give money during famines in other parts of the world.

I hope the points made by Senator Quinn are not forgotten and do not just disappear into the record of the House. I suggest to the eminent Senator, in view of the influence he has, that he consider convening an all-party group in the House on this very issue. We could create a new impetus on this matter. We all think about ourselves and our own problems but compared to problems experienced by people around the world they are small. I expect Ireland to provide leadership on this and respectfully make my suggestion. I would be prepared to go along if the Senator convenes such a meeting.