Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the Minister of State's interest in the matter under discussion. He listened to the contribution of each Member, as was clear from the way he responded to the matter and the comments of various speakers. It shows clearly that he understands the problem very well. What happened in Haiti was a massive disaster. People have lost their loved ones, their houses and possessions. Children who have been left as orphans need our help. I am pleased the Minister of State knows how to respond.

Certain points made by the Minister of State will require further reflection by us. He has indicated that two members of the rapid response corps were deployed to Haiti, namely, an electrical engineer and an IT expert. The third member was a Defence Forces engineer. The Minister of State said he would await their return to hear their recommendations on how the disaster relief effort was progressing. He will then decide on how we can best move forward in terms of the way in which the Government is monitoring the aid effort in conjunction with the aid agencies which are to be congratulated. Many of the agencies working with the Government are doing great work. I listened to some of them this afternoon. The main concern coming through their contributions relates to co-ordination. Because the undertaking is so massive the relief approach has splintered. That is the nature of the problem. A co-ordination centre is required to monitor the relief work.

I welcome the work being done in Haiti by the European Union, the United Nations humanitarian section and all other bodies, including the United States military forces. All of these groups have to be knitted together in some way to ensure the provision of shelter, food, water and sanitation equipment. I accept we are working on this but co-ordination is required. I urge the Minister of State to reinforce these points. Concern emerged in the debate about co-ordination and how our funding was being received on the ground in Haiti. In this regard, much work remains to be done. I compliment everyone involved, especially the Minister of State. I am happy that he is monitoring the approach of the Government and know that he will be vigilant in his work. I thank him for his contribution.