Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the topic of the charity sector. We saw the alarming situation in Oxfam UK where the chief of operations in Haiti, Ronald Van Hauwermeiren, was relocated to Bangladesh after the natural disaster for admitting to having prostitutes in an Oxfam sponsored home in Haiti. That is a violation that occurs every day of the week but in the aftermath of a disaster, it is totally disgraceful. I ask the Leader to invite the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the House soon to discuss the charity sector in Ireland and to ensure that the charities regulator has adequate resources to combat any activity that may be happening in our charity sector. I understand Oxfam Ireland has distanced itself completely from the activities of this gentleman who used to work for Oxfam UK. He has been moved on to another aid agency in Bangladesh. He was not sacked. He should have been sacked but to protect the reputation of the charity, his job was protected in that he was moved on to a different agency, which is disgraceful. I want to know if our charities regulator has the powers it needs to combat such activity? Are we depending on whistleblowers or undercover reporters to uncover such activity? I would like to Leader to facilitate a debate on this matter and invite the Minister to the House.

I add my support for comments made yesterday by Senators from across the House regarding female genital mutilation. I condemn in the strongest terms the comments of Dr. Selim from the Castleknock Muslim centre. Female genital mutilation is inhumane and barbaric. It is butchery that occurs every day of the week and there is no place in modern day medicine or society for such activity. I want to put on the record of the House that I totally condemn his statement on this and support the comments made by fellow Senators in the House yesterday.