Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his overview of the current Government position on Ireland's overseas development aid policy. I welcome, too, the opportunity to discuss this issue today because the recent cutbacks in the overseas development aid programme have caused significant concern in many quarters.

We are in a period of financial collapse. The Government will have to consider further very serious budgetary cutbacks. I am somewhat impatient when I hear the parties in opposition condemning every single cutback across the board. It does not matter whether it has to do with the medical area, education, third level fees, transport or local authority budgets. No matter what it is, it is resisted and we are told it is scandalous etc.