John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

Moneys were filtered offshore and the people were left to pay the bill. Instead of producing food for themselves and their families, they must produce cash crops to repay the loans. This is another devastating travesty for those people.

The beauty of the Irish aid is that it comes so naturally. From the outset, we understand it. What has happened to us is written in our DNA. It started with our missionaries who went to all corners of the world, including the white man's grave in west Africa where many died of malaria in the first few years, to bring the faith and to teach the people how to help and fend for themselves.

Even when our own economy took off in the 1960s, Gorta started, to be followed quickly by many others. One I especially like is Bóthar, which was started by the agricultural community, in particular T. J. Maher, with the support and assistance of the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly. This is a project that helps people using the holistic approach where they teach the family how to manage the animal it will receive, that the first-born off-spring is to be given to another family which in turn is trained in how to manage the animal and how to work to produce the best return. In a way it lifts the family because there is a high-yielding Irish animal in an African context that is assisting that family, and other families subsequently. That is a positive aspect.

The fact that in recent times we again have seen hunger in places such as Haiti, Vietnam, Egypt and Indonesia shows the fragile nature of the world economy. Due to the shift to bio-fuels, and 30% of the arable area in the US switching over to them, there was a large increase in the price of food commodities. In addition, when the stock market started to fall, there was speculation in commodities, including the price of oil. On the international stage, Ireland should object to brokers speculating on food commodities. It is a matter on which we could take a strong stance.

If there is one Minister who can make a difference to people's life, it is the Minister of State with responsibility for Irish Aid. He has the responsibility for making a direct influence on people's livelihood. It is ironic that poverty needs to be tackled, not just because it is poverty but because one pays either way. If, for instance, one does not look after people here in Ireland with social services, one will find that they will need health and other services more and there is a deterioration. It pays to look after people. In particular, I would suggest, now that the Doha round has collapsed, that Ireland has a role within the EU of having bilateral arrangements and treaties with Third World countries to ensure they get fair trade with an emphasis on their having sufficient food to look after their own needs.