Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

I apologise for being late for the speech of the Minister of State. I wish to share time with my colleague, Senator Regan.

I heard an interesting discussion on the radio this morning. A Haitian gentleman was interviewed and he spoke passionately about how this was the fault of the white people. His frustration was palpable when he asked what we were doing. He spoke about the lack of shelter on the golf course in the centre of Port-au-Prince where the non-governmental organisations, the UN and the US Army are milling around. Sheets that we use on our beds are what they use for protection against the blazing sun. They are all getting sunburnt and becoming dehydrated because they do not have enough water. There are horrendous problems with sanitation. What will happen in the next few days? The rain will come. This is what was said on the radio by people who know better than me. Human excrement now being buried will flood through the camp which houses thousands of people. I do not accept for one minute that things have improved. This is an outrage. I commend the Irish people and I commend the Minister of State on the work he has done. An amount of money is coming in but there is a lack of logistical evidence. Basic necessities are needed, including water, shelter and sanitation.

I do not agree with the Minister of State when he says the US Army is the wrong organisation for this job. How can the Minister of State be so sure it should be the UN? How is that organisation leading from the front? I agree with the statement of Mr. John O'Shea when he speaks about a global fire brigade. We need one strong organisation that can deal with these eventualities. Unfortunately, there will be more. Haiti has already suffered from hurricanes, after which $1 million of international funds was pledged. However, it has not been forthcoming. These unfortunate people will experience further disasters. People have already been injured in subsequent tremors. I agree with what Mr. O'Shea says because NGOs can give the love and concern that Irish people want to give because our hearts are broken for these people. However, we need strong logistics to distribute aid. That is not forthcoming.

I am also concerned about the fact that people are still buried but the searches have stopped. A person was found this morning. That is not very good co-ordination. Why are they not searching for more people? Every day they find one more person and in my naive mind I assume there are more people alive. My colleague and Fine Gael spokesperson on foreign affairs, Deputy Timmins, received the unanimous support of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs for his proposal to forgive Haiti's sovereign debt. I propose that we make a similar request in this House.

I was struck by the story of the man who lived with his five children under a thin sheet. I do not accept that the logistical operation is working efficiently enough.