Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I acknowledge the presence of the Cuban ambassador and I am delighted an ambassador from another Caribbean country is present for this debate because this is time for solidarity with Haiti. All islands must think of the devastation in the country. Before the earthquake happened, Haiti was in enormous political difficulty. Ireland and Cuba - even though I have heard good reports about that country - may think they have problems but Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. We are debating the minimum wage currently while GDP per capita in Haiti is less than €3.80 per day.

I commend the many Irish aid agencies working in Haiti. I am glad that during the Celtic tiger era, overseas development aid increased. It is a shame the Government has cut it to the extent it has but, at the same time, a reasonable allocation is still provided and I am glad the Government is still committed to reaching in due course the target set many years ago. I commend the work of Concern in Haiti where it has operated and done significant work since 1994, as has GOAL. The famous John O'Shea is always good at getting to the nub of the problem when disasters occur. He highlighted the need to establish an "overarching entity to co-ordinate and control the operations in Haiti" and said, "Disasters on this scale of tragedy in Haiti are beyond the scope of any aid organisation to contain". There is a limit to what can be done given hundreds of thousands of people have died in this tragedy. Ireland had problems with flooding and snow but this disaster puts them in perspective. We do not know how many people are injured or the number of orphans left by this appalling tragedy.

Since the Republic was formed, we have always had solidarity with people from poor countries or countries that suffer great disasters, and this can be classed as an enormously appalling disaster. A former colleague of mine, Sister Rose Kelly, was based in Galway for many years but she has been on the ground in Haiti for five years. In correspondence with her, she stated:

The country's infrastructure is virtually non-existent. The roads are so bad it takes eight hours in a car to get to Port-au-Prince from not too far away.

The Dominican Republic borders Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, which was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Haiti has a population of 9 million. From an environmental perspective, few trees remain in Haiti whereas the border with Dominican Republic, which is more stable politically, is tree lined. It is easy to see the border as a result. Because of the poverty in Haiti, people have taken to using trees as fuel and charcoal for cooking. The level of poverty in this western hemisphere country is not something of which we in the West should be proud.

We all want to ensure we can give maximum support to the people of Haiti. I commend the number of fund-raising events held throughout the country. Money is important but the key is to use it wisely. The amount the Government and the EU is providing is important but the key is to ensure the funding is targeted. John O'Shea pointed out the major issue is logistics and ensuring aid gets to where it should. It is not only about sending sacks of food to the people there who face many difficulties. Ireland can address the logistics issue. Approximately 400,000 people are on the dole, many of whom are extremely skilled. Good use should be made of their talents. We should focus on spending funds allocated to Haiti through our overseas development aid budget on them. For example, engineers could go to the country and do enormous good if they are given proper support.

Ireland can take many initiatives to solve this problem and it is incumbent on the State to do that. Luckily, Ireland is one of the most earthquake free countries in the world. Thank God for that, given the devastation we have seen on our television screens recently. While there have been heart-warming stories about people who were trapped in rubble for days before being dug out, at the same time they are the exception rather than the rule. This is a human tragedy on a scale we cannot imagine. The people of Haiti are in shock. Their Government is not equipped to deal with the tragedy and, therefore, they need help from every outside agency. Given our great tradition, it is incumbent on us to give as much practical help to the people as we can. I commend the motion and I will support it.