Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted the Minister of State is working to reduce the barriers faced by citizens seeking to return to Ireland from abroad. I look forward to seeing the report when it is finalised. They are people who never forgot our country and sometimes went in difficult times. Everything should be put in place to provide the best possible assistance for returned emigrant entrepreneurs such as a back to business pilot programme. Much funding has been spent. We have gone up to 0.7% of gross national income in official development assistance. We could work more closely with a lot of other organisations in a lot of other areas. We have applied for observer status at the group of francophone nations. They also work closely with countries in Africa. Through the francophone group and the EU, we can make our money go further. I know the Minister of State is looking at various opportunities and I appreciate the work being done. I appreciate that sometimes Irish Aid can be forgotten about. I want to highlight the great work the Minister of State, the Department and all the other Departments involved in Irish Aid are doing but the Irish overseas should be helped as well. We need to take our place among the nations of the world. We are an independent nation without any baggage and we can now be independent arbiters around the world. We should not be afraid to take those steps.