Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This is an important topic from a global point of view, not least from our own point of view given that Ireland has always proudly supported overseas development in countries where people were hungry and going without as a result, more often than not, of corrupt practices within those countries, particularly given that €623 million is being spent on foreign aid. Foreign aid is not just aid. While its aim is to support self-development in those countries, often that does not happen. Some 80% of this year's budget is going to African countries. At a time when Moody's and the international economic commentators give this country junk status we are borrowing money to send to organisations such as the UN, to which we have an obligation under the 2002 declaration, the World Bank, regional banks in Africa and the European Union. All of that €623 million is borrowed plus an additional borrowing cost each year which probably runs to €700 million. At the same time, 1.65 million of our own citizens have less than €50 at the end of the month, according to the Irish League of Credit Unions. People in our own country are homeless and going without food and families are having to live on beans, toast and cornflakes. That is happening in my constituency. That is poverty in our own country. While we have an obligation and a commitment to foreign aid, we also have an obligation and a commitment to our own people. In light of the corruption and squandering of vast amounts of money which we are borrowing and giving back to Africa, we have to question the value for money obtained from that spend.

Recently, I met the Honorary Consul of Uganda to Ireland and questioned her on the use of the €670 million spent by Uganda on new military Russian style aircraft. She was embarrassed and outlined my worst fears that the aid money is not going directly to the people who need it. Those who need the development, guidance, education and so on are not getting it. She said there were other ways of ensuring that people were given assistance by our taxpayers but on the basis that it was provided for self-development in those countries. In western society, people continue to throw money at the problem but that does not solve it. We have learned from that in England. America has taken a different view and other western countries are reducing aid going to foreign countries because of the lack of dividend being obtained in those donor countries.

The statistics are alarming. For example, we learn that the African nations are losing billions of euro each year as countries are being raped of their natural resources. What are international governments doing to deal with that problem and to help African countries to be self-sufficient to ensure that the corruption which is taking place at the highest level is stopped? The UN may be better at dealing with that issue than taking the money from a country that can no longer afford to give it.

Let us look at the spend on Ireland's foreign aid. The ministerial mercs and the drivers may have stopped here but it has not stopped in terms of our foreign aid budget. For chauffeur-driven cars in developing countries, for example, in Vietnam. the Irish foreign aid budget paid €2,850 in May 2012, a further €1,365 in August 2012, and €11,261 for the visit to Ireland by the king of Lesotho. The list includes expenditure on washing machines, plumbing jobs for embassy staff and €11,000 rental for our ambassador's residence in Zimbabwe. Money is being spent on areas where-----