Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

It is vital that the establishment and operation of the organisation be well understood and conceived. In appointing people to it, there can be no room for manoeuvre or cronyism. We must be clear on it being a transparent agency because it will serve just one master, namely, the people, and not any political party. As we must get it right, I want a debate on the agency's operation.

The Minister got two areas wrong and must reconsider them. First, the Christmas welfare payment is seen by many poor and elderly people as an essential part of Christmas. It pays for essentials like the Christmas ham, a small present for a grandchild or heating an extra room for someone who is returning from abroad to spend Christmas at home. Since the proposed saving of more than €100 million would not be tremendous, we must reconsider the matter. Will the Leader arrange for this debate?

Second, the issue of international aid must be revisited. In the past four months, we have cut nearly €200 million, more than 20%, from the aid budget. This morning, John O'Shea of GOAL stated that yesterday was a bad day for the poor and this country's reputation. We must reconsider this matter, as the saving would not be considerable. We have made commitments to the outside world. Other European countries are going through difficult times but they are not cutting back. The only other countries doing so are Latvia and Italy. I am looking across the floor at Senators on the Government side who are good people and who firmly believe in development aid. I ask them to make the case to revisit this area. We must stand with the developing world and ensure we fulfil our commitments. Will the Leader arrange for a debate on the matter?