I advise members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex in order to participate in public meetings. I will not permit members to participate where they are not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, a member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting. In this regard, I ask any member taking part via Microsoft Teams to confirm they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus prior to making their contribution.

Members and witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

For those who might be viewing this at home or from abroad, this evening's meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade is a meeting of the select committee, so only Members of the Dáil are present. We are engaging with the Minister of State to consider the Revised Estimates for Vote 27, international co-operation, and Vote 28, foreign affairs and trade. In that context, I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Neale Richmond, and his officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The format of the meeting is such that we will hear the Minister of State's opening statement followed by a session of questions and answers with members of the committee. I ask members to be concise in their questions to allow all members the opportunity to participate. I remind members that the committee has no role in approving the Estimates.

This is an ongoing opportunity for the committee to examine departmental expenditure to make the process more transparent and to engage in a meaningful way on relevant performance issues. I thank the Department for the briefing note it has provided. The Minister of State and his team are always very welcome here. We look forward to hearing from him. I now invite him to make his opening statement and perhaps to introduce us to the members of his team.

At the outset, I thank the Cathaoirleach for facilitating this important meeting. I am joined by John Conlon, deputy secretary general at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Fiona Nic Dhonnacha, deputy political director; Sarah Hunt, policy director; Nicole McHugh, humanitarian director; Therese Healy and Peter O'Brien from the finance section; and Jessica Pender from the passport section.

I thank the Cathaoirleach and members for the opportunity to present the 2026 Revised Estimates for the foreign affairs group of Votes: Vote 27 - International Co-operation and Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade. Members will have received the advance briefing notes provided by my Department on the two Votes. These summarise the main activities and priorities under each expenditure programme. In these opening comments, I will focus on the key changes and developments and major geopolitical matters that will impact the work of my Department in 2026. I will, of course, be happy to take questions afterwards.

For 2026, the overall gross Estimate for the foreign affairs group of Votes is €1.3504 billion. This includes a capital allocation of €40 million. This represents a decrease of €118.8 million on the final 2025 allocation of €1.4692 billion, which included Supplementary Estimates. I cannot underestimate how much we are living through a period of great geopolitical challenge and upheaval. The rules-based order on which our security and prosperity and those of our EU partners depend is increasingly under strain. Our engagement at international level, driven by our key values and principles, will be critical in the year ahead. Through bilateral and EU channels, our work with partners and engagement with those with whom we do not always agree will remain essential in pursuing our goals. This includes our efforts to promote human rights, respect for international law and the peaceful resolution of conflict. It is also essential as we seek to uphold our interests in this changing world when seeking to support our citizens and to promote our economy and as we work with our partners to ensure our security. Ireland is a steadfast support of the global multilateral system with the UN Charter at its heart. At this challenging time for the system, our funding, commitment and engagement continue across a range of multilateral institutions, including the UN, the EU, the ICC, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the OECD and UNESCO, among others.

We are actively engaging in discussions on UN reform, including the UN Secretary General’s reform initiative, UN80. Ireland's approach seeks to defend and renew UN Charter principles, preserve the legitimacy and universality of the UN and maintain balance across the UN's three pillars. In doing so, Ireland will seek to ensure that human rights and gender equality are not weakened, promote pragmatic and concrete reforms, preserve the UN's disarmament architecture and strengthen the UN's financial sustainability. It is exactly at a time like this that countries like Ireland must stand up and speak out for the values and ideals that the multilateral system embodies. That is why I am proud that we are putting ourselves forward for membership of the Human Rights Council for the period 2027 to 2029. If elected, we will bring the same commitment that we have always demonstrated to promoting the protection of human rights accountability and compliance with international law.

In less than five months’ time, on 1 July, Ireland will take on the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the eighth time. Work is ongoing right across the Government to develop our Presidency priorities and policy programme. Overall, our Presidency policy programme will reflect the work that needs to be done to address common challenges that we face across the European Union. We believe that a successful EU Presidency is particularly important against a complex geopolitical and economic backdrop in Europe. We anticipate that the agenda of the Council in 2026 will continue to have a strong focus on matters such as competitiveness and the strengthening of the Single Market, security and defence, and enlargement of the Union, as well as safeguarding our shared values.

During our Presidency, we want to deliver an ambitious policy programme and move the EU's legislative and policy agenda forward in an effective manner. We will also work to successfully host more than 270 Presidency events throughout Ireland, including a summit of the European political community and an informal meeting of the European Council. We also want to use the opportunity of the Presidency to promote a national conversation on Ireland's enduring place in Europe.

Ireland’s support for EU enlargement remains steadfast. EU membership is the ultimate security guarantee that we can provide, not just to eastern neighbourhood countries, but also to the western Balkans. Enlargement is also the best means of protecting European democracy and ensuring our continued prosperity.

We are approaching the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine. After almost four years of brutal Russian aggression, Ireland remains unequivocal in our support and solidarity with Ukraine. Since the onset of the war in February 2022, Ireland’s total allocated support to Ukraine amounts to over €467.4 million. This includes €173.4 million in stabilisation and humanitarian assistance, €200 million in bilateral non-lethal military support for Ukraine, approximately €69 million in non-lethal military support under the European Peace Facility and the provision of €25 million to support the provision of energy to Ukraine. Beyond financial support, Ireland has also welcomed almost 124,000 people fleeing Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine since the war began under the temporary protection directive. Ukraine's needs continue to be critical. Ireland will continue to review options nationally and at the EU level for further contributions responding to that evolving need, including through the provision of non-lethal military equipment. I want to say very clearly that what is happening in Ukraine at the moment has a very real and material impact on every home in this country. This is not someone else's war. The impacts of it are felt by every single person we represent as elected TDs.

In addition, Ireland welcomes ongoing efforts to implement the comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict. We remain ready to work with the US and other partners on the implementation of the plan in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2803. Moving forward to the next phase is important for the people of Gaza, as well as for peace and security in the region. We remain concerned, however, about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. While access to food has improved, the people of Gaza still do not have adequate shelter from winter weather or sufficient access to medicines, healthcare and sanitation. We welcome the limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing. However, it is essential that civilians are allowed to leave and return to Gaza voluntarily and safely, as international law requires.

As work to implement the next phase of the comprehensive plan progresses, the West Bank must be centrally considered. Furthermore, Ireland continues to call on Israel to release tax receipts due to the Palestinian Authority. We consider these issues to be essential in advancing agreement towards a durable peace plan, with the implementation of the two-state solution at its core.

Reflecting our readiness to play our part in a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine, Ireland is an active participant in the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. In January, Ireland hosted the eighth meeting of the alliance, which focused on sharing lessons from Ireland's own experience of peace building in Northern Ireland, and how dialogue, inclusion and strong institutions can help turn conflict into lasting peace.

Vote 27 relates to international co-operation. Ireland's official development assistance, ODA, is integral to our foreign policy. It reflects our continuing commitment to global solidarity and the fight to reduce poverty and hunger in our world. The Government is committed to maintaining and increasing our ODA at a time of unprecedented need globally. The Government's international development policy, A Better World, commits clearly to advancing gender equality, good governance, climate action and humanitarian assistance. These commitments will continue to underpin all of our engagements and development co-operation, including in the context of the EU Presidency.

For this year, €866.4 million has been allocated for the international development programme managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, up from €810.3 million in 2025. This is the highest ever allocation in the 52-year history of the Irish aid programme. It is also a fact that we are one of two EU countries not cutting its aid budget. This amount includes an additional €25 million allocation in support of Ukraine's energy sector for 2026 in response to Russia's targeting of Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure amid winter conditions. This funding was announced by the Taoiseach during President Zelenskyy’s visit to Ireland in December 2025. It is an important element of the 2030 Roadmap on Ukraine-Ireland Partnership document, which was signed by the Taoiseach and President Zelenskyy. It builds on the €2 million contribution that Ireland made to the fund late last year.

We will remain focused on the situation of the Palestinian people and will provide €42 million in assistance in 2026, including €20 million in core funding to support the work of UNRWA in providing vital services to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and across the region. This will represent an increase in support for Palestine on the €36 million provided last year. In addition to our announcement last month of €20 million for UNRWA, we also announced €2 million to support the work of the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent societies in Gaza. Further announcements of funding from the overall total will be made as the situation on the ground develops over the coming period.

We are also focused on the conflict in Sudan, the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Last month, it reached its 1,000th day. It is continuing to have a devastating impact on the Sudanese people, particularly women and children. Ireland has been a consistent advocate since the beginning of the conflict, including at the EU and the UN. As a principled and active donor, we remain resolute in our commitment to the Sudanese people. The critical issue of humanitarian access and the need to remove bureaucratic impediments to aid are at the heart of our diplomatic engagement on Sudan. Ireland's response also recognises the impact of the crisis on neighbouring countries, particularly in welcoming refugees. Last year, we provided €14.3 million in humanitarian assistance to support people most in need in Sudan and those displaced in neighbouring countries. We are committed to further increasing our funding and our focus on Sudan this year.

Ireland is on track to deliver its commitment to provide €225 million per year in climate finance to developing countries, a goal we expected to have reached last year. We intend to maintain and consolidate these efforts this year through the continued implementation of Ireland's international climate finance roadmap. The programme for Government commits to continuing to increase ODA annually, working towards achieving the UN target of 0.7% of GNI in support of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Thirty years of progress in eradicating extreme poverty globally has been set back significantly in recent years by the pandemic, war and conflict, the existential challenge of climate change and, now, by increased geopolitical instability and uncertainty, and, indeed, the devastating political choices of others. We take the clear view that sustained and increasing levels of ODA are needed now more than ever. Ireland remains engaged in a number of processes looking at the future of development co-operation, including the UN80 reform process. We continue to monitor what these developments might mean for Ireland's development programme and, if necessary, we will adjust our programme activities in response.

ODA cutbacks have also had a severe impact on the global humanitarian system. Millions of people in need are not receiving assistance as humanitarian organisations have been forced to make impossible choices as to which vulnerable groups to prioritise. Against this backdrop, Ireland's provision of flexible, predictable and multi-year annual funding is key to supporting our partners to plan and programme more effectively, and to respond rapidly to urgent needs as they evolve. Ireland's funding for humanitarian response has increased steadily in recent years. In 2025, Ireland provided over €330 million in response to humanitarian crises around the world. In 2026, there will be an increase in our overall humanitarian funding, with a stronger focus on the protection of women and girls, and climate-sensitive humanitarian action.

Our humanitarian funding to Sudan, Gaza, Haiti, Afghanistan and Myanmar will increase, while we are maintaining our support to protracted and often forgotten crises, such as those in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ireland will continue to provide predictable, flexible humanitarian funding to our partners, including the UN, the Red Cross movement and Irish and international NGOs. I saw the impact of our bilateral development programmes and of official development assistance, ODA, cutbacks during my visits in the past year to Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Colombia. I look forward to visiting Ethiopia and Uganda next week and Mozambique and South Africa for St. Patrick's Day. I will continue to emphasise the Government's commitment to the fight against poverty, hunger and malnutrition and to building partnerships based on equality and transparency with governments and communities in the developing world.

Although it felt long, I have given a brief overview of how we will spend resources provided to us in 2026 and focused on a select number of priority policy areas. There are a multitude of areas of work I did not touch on. This year will be extremely busy. I am proud to say that Ireland will continue to steadfastly stand by our core values and beliefs. I welcome comments and questions from committee members.

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive statement. Before coming to our first speaker, Deputy Brian Brennan, I will ask a question. The Department has a senior Minister and two Ministers of State. Deputy Richmond is one of the Ministers of State. Will he tell the committee what his particular responsibilities are? It looks like he has responsibility for the biggest chunk of the foreign affairs budget, which is for overseas development or international aid.

My brief has two major parts, as well as being a dutiful Minister of State who attends for all matters on behalf of the senior Minister as required. The first part is the international development brief, which has the largest amount of expenditure and perhaps the largest engagement with the multilateral system in a range of areas. Ireland has a proud record in international development stemming from our history of missionaries and the NGO movement. Since 1974, Irish Aid has been a beacon to the world. Even when we were going through difficult economic times, we maintained that commitment to the furthest behind first.

The second area, which I perhaps did not dig into as much in my opening remarks, is my responsibility for the diaspora. Since 2014, we have had a Minister of State with special responsibility for the diaspora, following in the footsteps of Jimmy Deenihan, who was the first. A large part of that is seeing through the emigrant support programme, the funding of which will increase by €1 million this year. It provides support to Irish groups which promote our culture and heritage and works with the Irish abroad who are manifest. Some 76 million people claim Irish heritage in countries as diverse as - the traditional suspects - the US, Great Britain and Australia and increasingly in such places as the United Arab Emirates, UAE, Canada, South Africa and south-east Asia.

Before the Minister of State came in, we were talking. I see one of the headings is promoting Ireland. A delegation of the committee went to Expo 2025. I compliment the Department-funded documentary. I think it was connected with Gradam Ceoil. TG4 showed it and it has received much favourable comment. I recommend it to members who have not seen it. It shows the best of Ireland and was on display in an international context and attracted a huge amount of positive attention.

For the witnesses who have come here from global and international aid organisations, the cut in US AID funding, because it is responsible for so much aid, has been a continuing theme. We have heard from witnesses from Venezuela and Sudan. We might get to talk about the different individuals, but there is some suggestion that the cut in US AID funding is biting the USA because soya bean farmers have been devastated as a result as a huge amount of their products went to less developed countries. That is clearly an unforeseen consequence.

I thank the Minister of State for his in-depth presentation. It is not surprising. I compliment him and his staff because they are always available and he is on top of the brief in what is an incredible global political situation at the moment. Every hour and every day people turn on the radio, there is another issue.

I make no apologies about starting with Gaza because I really feel - I hate to make the comparison - it is like up in Aughrim in County Wicklow, where the storm is gone and people will almost forget about what happened only a week ago, until another storm happens. On a magnitude of millions, that is what is happening in Gaza. As we well know, it is far from over. It is ironic that today Prime Minister Netanyahu is with President Trump. I may be corrected, but I think President Trump has met Prime Minister Netanyahu more often than any other president, which speaks volumes. What has been happening in Israel in recent weeks is it has been made easier for Israelis to buy property in the occupied territories, which is frightening. A Bill is also going through parliament to bring in the death penalty for Palestinians who were involved in the war. The last figure I saw was that 72,045 people have been killed in this genocide and it is far from over. I want to know the Minister of State's opinion of Trump's policy on peace. The first phase was hostage release. To be fair, that was successful, eventually. On the ceasefire, since 10 October 2025, 556 people have been killed and more than 1,500 have been injured. That is not a ceasefire. On allowing supplies in, I hear from direct contacts they are dribbling in. On opening the borders, people are allowed to cross the borders but only in one direction, out. They are not allowed to return. I would be interested in hearing how the Minister of State feels it is going and how we can move into phase two, as we are meant to, when only 25% of phase one has been done.

I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue because it seems we are not speaking about it enough, even in this Parliament. I would argue that Ireland has been consistent and strong at a Government level and across the Oireachtas in its clear condemnation of the genocide that has been perpetrated in Gaza and the very real need for real peace. The ceasefire we have at the moment is fragile, and that is me being polite, to be frank. Aspects of it arise on a daily basis that are increasingly worrying. I have no doubt that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been met more often by President Trump than any other head of government. That would be consistent and is not necessarily new to this latest iteration of the conflict.

I abhor the death penalty in all forms and condemn any regime that introduces or maintains a death penalty. Countries cannot be members of the EU if they have the death penalty. That goes to our values, not just from an Irish point of view, but a European one, and how we reflect those values on the world stage.

From an Irish point of view, the financial aspect is clear. We have provided more than €144 million in support to the Palestinians so far. We will provide €42 million in 2026 and at the centre of that will be our support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, which has had its name blackened by too many international actors. It is vital and any real, sustainable and lasting peace that will lead to the two-state solution we so passionately support will require full buy-in from the UN, for its principles and for allowing its agencies to work freely.

I will conclude on humanitarian access. We are getting nowhere near the amount of humanitarian aid into Palestine that is needed. At the end of March, I will travel to Jordan where I will visit the King Hussein Bridge which is the main access point into Palestine from Jordan. It is crucial, but the level of humanitarian aid getting in is nowhere near sufficient. I met the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, Tom Fletcher, in my offices recently. His officials reckon they could end the man-made famine in Gaza in eight to nine months, if given full access. There is a famine that is man-made that could be ended simply through co-operation, but it requires political will.

I bring forward the point. It will not be possible to mend what is going on in Sudan in nine months. I am moving on. This is the hidden war, the thousand day war. The numbers are off the Richter scale and it is frightening. How in God's name can we solve this problem? We are looking at 32 million people being displaced.

In terms of our global needs, Sudan needs 10% of our global needs. On discussing the amount of aid coming from elsewhere, fair enough, Ireland is raising the bar as the Minister of State noted. We are meeting and going above our targets on what we have done before but not every country is doing that, especially the major global powers. I brought up the human rights violations over there before and the issues dealing with the tax on people who are trying to help. What does the Government feel on that?

Very briefly, because I am cognisant of the time, Sudan does not get nearly enough the attention it deserves in any parliament or any multilateral forum. It is the largest humanitarian disaster in the world, bar none. The numbers are absolutely mind-blowing in terms of people displaced and people killed. There is the fact that rape is being used as a weapon of war in 2026 in this conflict. We have been very clear in our commitment to increasing our level of aid but also to raising this at every EU and UN opportunity that comes before us. We will continue to put that pressure to make sure there is full respect of the embargoes and make sure that we can actually deliver peace for the people of Sudan.

I will make one last point on the diaspora. I have lived abroad and I know what it means. I feel what is being played out is that we should help the diaspora that needs help but also we should look for help from the diaspora. Especially in a geopolitical situation at the moment, there are so many very well-thought-of Irish business leaders out there in the world. I am not only talking about America but globally and I feel they should be welcomed with open arms. I am glad to see that policy of increasing our funding for the diaspora but also using them to help us in this time. We cannot overemphasise how sad some issues are that are going on in the geopolitical situation.

That is really important. There is a reason why we have a Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora. We know how important the Irish abroad are and they are multifaceted. Irish people have been moving abroad for years. Like the Deputy, I lived abroad for a period. When things were really rough in this country, when it was a poor country, when we had famine, when we had civil conflict and when we were going through the economic crash, the diaspora did not forget us. Many of the people who represent our diaspora now are, however, often the people that this State forgot about. I am referring to the survivors of institutional abuse and the people who were criminalised for being homosexual who were forced to move abroad over decades. We feel a very direct responsibility to make sure that we return their consistent support of our country, not just by supporting organisations through the advocate support programme but providing the services that many of them need as they get older. We will have a new diaspora strategy launched at the end of April at the global Irish civic forum in Croke Park. There, we will be inviting many representatives of the diaspora to engage on what we can do for the next five years for our diaspora and how we can be of service to them. It is not like before when we needed the diaspora economically, as such. We are not on the ask as such but we absolutely can work together for political, economic and diplomatic mutual aims.

I would like to welcome everybody in today. The Minister of State has been speaking about the diaspora. I do not know if it is the word he used, but he is not actually encouraging the new diaspora, that is, new people who have moved away. There have been advertisements in America and Australia asking our own younger people who have emigrated - - maybe we do not call them diaspora - to come home. Am I correct in saying that there have been advertisements abroad for our own people to come back home again?

Absolutely and last year roughly 30,000 Irish citizens returned home. Over the five-year period, more Irish people moved home than moved abroad.

Does the Minister of State feel we got value for money with advertising abroad and how much was spent on it?

I do not have the exact figure because it was not solely from the Department of foreign affairs. Some was from the Department of Health because it was aimed at medical professionals. Some was by the Department of local government because it was aimed at construction professionals. What we seek to do in the Department of foreign affairs within our diaspora strategy is to identify the challenges for returning migrants. I know the Deputy has been a great advocate for reciprocal driving licences. We have been able to achieve that in Canada and Australia. We are very close to having that delivered for New York. Obviously, it is done on a state-by-state basis in the US and we hope to follow that with New Jersey and Massachusetts. We now have an insurance provider quoting specifically for motor insurance to returning emigrants. All our large major banks have set up programmes to cater for returning members of the diaspora. Crucially, we also work with the Department of Social Protection to make sure that PPS numbers and other services are made readily available. Finally, we work with a number of agencies who work perhaps with returning prisoners or indeed people who are returning home having been deported or in difficult circumstances. We work in terms of social housing provision as well.

Yes, one of the issues I hear on the ground is that people moving home find it very difficult to get housing and healthcare. The PRSI contributions they made before they left here are not taken into account. Perhaps this issue of contributions could be looked at. A lot of them have paid contributions for years and they are completely null and void when they do come back home. I have also had the issue, as the Minister of State said, about driving licences so it would be great to see progress on that and on insurance. The Minister of State cannot tell the banks what to do but maybe he could encourage them. People have been working away from home for years but cannot get mortgages when they come home again because they have not been working here in Ireland. Perhaps the banks could recognise that time away during which they have been working. The price of houses is another issue. Is the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade doing anything to work with the housing Department in order that people will come home? As the Minister of State said we have lots of nurses and doctors and other people who want to come home but they have no choice because they have nowhere to go when they come home. Are nurses, doctors and teachers being offered any incentive to come home?

There is a couple of things and again, it is not necessarily done directly by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but in combination. First, the housing crisis is an all-of-government priority. We need to build more homes and to build them quicker, to make them affordable and to make home ownership attainable for all, regardless of whether people have lived abroad. It is important to note that in the key popular destinations for younger Irish people to move for a period, particularly Australia, Canada and the UK, housing prices and availability are actually worse than they are here. It is not necessarily that the situation is better there but it is an additional challenge.

Regarding PRSI contributions, a lot of work has been done in that regard. In relation to the banks, we are not going to tell them what to do because we cannot. However, they have realised that looking at time abroad and increasing the level of flexibility makes commercial sense, just like a singular insurance company has realised it makes commercial sense to quoting for Irish people who have lived abroad and driven abroad and who have a full clean licence.

In terms of education, this is something I am really interested in because I meet a lot of teachers abroad, some of whom gained their qualifications abroad. Maybe their qualifications or their teaching experience were gained in the UK. Obviously, based on increments, if a person comes back having spent ten years teaching in a national school in a different jurisdiction, they go back in at tier 1. There are moves from the Department of Education and Youth to make it easier for people from the non-traditional national school and secondary school pathways to achieve teaching recognition. I am married to a Montessori teacher who is in the process of going through that and doing her scrúdú. It is something that is definitely appealing to an element from the diaspora but also many people here at home already.

I thank the Minister of State for answering those questions. I have asked the Minister of State about the embassies before. Are we lagging behind what other countries have out there in respect embassies and consulates?

Absolutely not.

Are we lagging behind on staffing in the embassies?

No, I would argue that we have probably one of the most outsized diplomatic footprints in the world. Only one EU member state, France, has more diplomatic missions in the United States than has Ireland. We are a country of just over 5.1 million people. We will be opening two new diplomatic missions next year in Melbourne and Málaga. We have a really ambitious programme.

Is it on a per capita basis?

It is more than per capita, to be honest. We have more diplomatic missions than many countries multiple times our size. We have resident ambassadors in countries now that we never had before. We have a really ambitious programme based on Global Ireland 2020 to increase that diplomatic footprint and to provide a greater level of service. We have the increasing usage of the new Ireland House network, which is not just the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We have seen this in Tokyo. I opened one in Chicago recently. We will have it in London and Toronto soon. It is where we bring together all the State agencies; the likes of the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia, Science Foundation Ireland or whoever wants to be part of that Ireland House.

That is what is really key.

I saw that. I was in Japan and we went to Tokyo House. It is very good. I say well done to the Minister of State.

Deputy Brennan mentioned the illegal Israeli settlements and the occupied territories Bill. Has any budget been set aside for that this year? What is the story there?

The Bill does not require a budget, as such. The heads of the Bill have been initiated. The committee carried out a very comprehensive pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill in July. Legal advice was sought from the Attorney General on the addition of services, as requested by this committee. That advice was received in December and the Department's legal officials have gone back seeking clarification. It is not something that requires any sort of budgetary allocation.

Would it not need a huge amount of resources to get it across the line and to change what is happening at the moment? If it is implemented I would imagine there would be a lot of legalities attached to that. Is there no budget set aside for that?

In terms of a trade provision like this, the resources really come down to enforcement and that would be provided primarily by Revenue or customs agencies. It would not necessarily come out of the budget of the Department of foreign affairs.

Okay. It will not come out of the Department.

No.

That is okay. Did the Minister of State say his budget has dropped by €40 billion this year? Did I hear him say that at the start?

No. We have two strands of the budget – Vote 27 and Vote 28. Vote 27, which is international co-operation, has increased significantly, but Vote 28 has decreased because of a lower amount paid over to Ukraine.

Just in relation to the EU Presidency-----

The Deputy-----

I know I am pushing it. How much has been set aside for the EU Presidency? How much will it cost us to look for a candidate for the EU Presidency? Will that come from the Minister of State's Department?

We are entitled to the EU Presidency. There is no candidate as such.

There is no candidate.

No. it is just a rotation.

The Minister of State mentioned a few events. Will they cost a lot of money?

Yes, the money is not just this year, a lot of it would have been spent the previous year. Our direct allocation from this Department is €65 million but I will give the Deputy a wider figure because a lot of this requires the co-operation of every single Department. There will be 270 meetings and informal Council meetings of every format. Between this year and last year it will be more in the region of €300 million, including security posts.

Who is going for it?

The Presidency is not a competitive process.

Do we not know who it is? Will it be an Irish person? How does it work?

Ireland as a country takes on the Presidency.

Yes, the country takes on the Presidency but who-----

The Taoiseach is the President.

So he will be going for the-----

For clarity, the Council of the European Union is split into the various policy areas, so the line Minister will have the Presidency for that relevant section. When I host an informal meeting on development in the Foreign Affairs Council, I will be the acting president on behalf the Irish Government. The President of the European Council generally is the former Prime Minister, Costa, from Portugal. That is an individual. That is different from the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. That is just based on the member state and whoever is the Minister of the state chairing the meeting. That rotates every six months. It is currently being held by Cyprus. Lithuania will take over from us. We know that we will host it again in 13 years.

I thank the Minister of State. I am sorry for going over my time.

Deputy Bennett is okay.

I again welcome the Minister of State and his staff. I compliment them on the work they are doing. I thank him for his opening statement.

This committee started in April. Since then, up to the end of last year and the start of this year, we had witnesses from various countries like Ukraine, Palestine and Sudan. The first thing they always did was to compliment Ireland for its funding and continued support. It was very important that they said that. They praised us for the work and for showing leadership as a small country in support of their countries. It is very important that all the witnesses said that.

Like my colleagues, I am concerned about Gaza, Ukraine and so on. We are leading the way in showing other countries that we are there to support countries that are vulnerable through no fault of their own and that we can support them, help them and fund them, which we continue to do.

It is very important that we have an opportunity when we take over the Presidency at the end of this year for six months. We will again be showing the way to other countries in terms of what Ireland has done. It is great that we can show what Ireland can do. We have the leadership with the Taoiseach. As the Minister of State said, every senior and junior Minister, be it the Minister for agriculture, trade, enterprise and so on, will be leading the way so that we can get new business and our country will benefit from that over the period.

The Minister of State also touched on the fact that he is visiting countries in the coming months, which is great. A lot of Ministers are visiting countries for St. Patrick's Day, which is very important. People ask what is the benefit of Ministers going to different countries, especially on St. Patrick's Day. What will it do for Irish people? What can we get? It is good to have the opportunity in the committee today to ask the Minister of State that question.

I will just touch on two or three areas before I go specifically to St. Patrick's Day. When the Deputy talks about Ireland showing leadership in areas that are key to our values, 70% of Irish people are strongly supportive of ODA, as per an opinion poll carried out prior to the general election. We are a small country but we have a strong history here. In Zimbabwe, Ireland will now contribute more than the United Kingdom. In Sierra Leone, we are the second largest donor. None of this is per capita, this is in actual amounts. It is really powerful and it is really important. It is going to be at the heart of our Presidency that values are important to us – values, security and competitiveness are the three overarching terms.

The Deputy is right about St. Patrick's Day. Some 40 Ministers and officials, including the Ceann Comhairle and the Attorney General, will visit over 50 countries around the world. We are the only country whose national day gives us guaranteed access once a year. We have a guaranteed audience with the President of the United States. No other country can guarantee that on the same day or the same week every year. The result is manifest. The first obvious return is a very real economic one. This creates jobs and investment. Irish Ministers will go into companies around the world. Last year when I was in Tanzania of all places, Liebherr, a German-owned but Kerry-based company is exporting cranes to the port of Dar es Salaam, and creating jobs. The project manager working there is from Listowel.

A total of €28 million of Kenyan tea was imported into Ireland last year. Needless to say, our former colleague, Deirdre Clune, is delighted with that. These missions create real economic opportunities but they also, crucially, give us a chance to share our culture and values - what really matters to us in the arts, music, and the celebration of great Irish writers. The Cathaoirleach referred to the movie produced for TG4 showing the work of Ireland abroad. We are a small country and it is a very competitive space and a very difficult time geopolitically. We must make sure that we have the ears of great powers. Ultimately, it contributes to all of that, including when we are looking, for example to election to the UN Security Council, which we were a couple of years ago, and we hope to be elected to the UN Human Rights Council in 2027. Across every single one of our constituencies, there are thousands of people employed by multinationals or by indigenous Irish companies that trade across the world and whose jobs and salaries benefit from trade missions, in particular using St. Patrick's Day to our collective advantage.

I thank the Minister of State. That was a very comprehensive answer. He told us the benefits in no uncertain terms.

Visiting the President of the United States is a bit controversial but we are not visiting that person, we are visiting the President of one of the most powerful countries in the world. As the Minister of State said, we have an opportunity to lead the way and show them what we have and what we can achieve. Other countries would give their right hand to get the opportunity we have on St. Patrick's Day. It is very important to say that.

The Minister of State also mentioned the Ministers visiting different countries on that day. Are there other opportunities for businesses in this country to gain from that? What could we realise from that if we could get the opportunity, because it is important?

The Minister of State has explained about Kenya and other countries where we have markets and successfully trading with them. Can other businesses in the country get that opportunity as well?

Regarding the United States, nine Ministers will visit 11 states. It is a lot more than just an audience in the Oval Office. It is the opportunity to meet politicians at a federal level, a state level and a city level. It is to meet an American population of over €30 million - I mean 30 million people; that is the second time I have done that due to all the numbers in my head - who have Irish ancestry and are very passionate about that ancestry. They may be third or four generation but they are playing our Gaelic games and our music and they are speaking our native language. They are members of societies who, over the years, kept the very difficult political situation in this country on the map to ensure that the United States played a very real part in our peace process but also made very clear economic decisions. We have dozens of US multinationals that are employing people here in Ireland. There are actually more Americans employed by Irish companies in America than there are Irish people employed by American companies here.

It is about the opportunities for businesses more generally. It is not just America or St. Patrick's Day. One of the key aims - not necessarily a new one - of this Government is in relation to market diversification. A lot of this conversation started during the Brexit years when there was a chance of a no-deal Brexit and we were going to trade on WTO terms. We realised that 83% of our cheddar cheese and over 40% of our beef was exported to Great Britain. What would have happened if we had mandatory WTO-style tariffs on that? Thankfully, that was worked out largely through the Windsor Framework and others and we have since had the opportunity to look at new markets and increase trade. When we joined the EEC in 1973, 55% of our exports went to Great Britain. That is down to in and around 10%, given the time of year that it is calculated. Countries like France, Germany and Belgium would regularly would be ahead of that, as well as the United States. Collectively, the European Union is our biggest market but through the EU we will see the final ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, our trade deal with Canada, this year as well as possible opportunities with new trade deals through the EU with the likes of India, the UAE and Australia that are moving through that process. It really does matter. When I was in the Department of enterprise, I led a number of those trade missions, mainly partnered with Enterprise Ireland, the indigenous agency that works with indigenous Irish export-based businesses. It is so important. There are opportunities for Irish businesses of all sizes in all sectors.

I thank the Minister of State.

Before coming to Deputy Shay Brennan, I want to echo some of the points made. The committee paid a visit to Canada before Christmas. In Toronto, we saw the Ireland House approach about which the Minister of State spoke, where we had presentations from Bord Bia and Fáilte Ireland. There is a very dynamic ambassador there, clearly. It was very clear to me that Canada was a place with which we were really only beginning to develop relations even though our roots were very deep there. The population of Toronto was, if I have this right, 30,000 in 1848, and then 40,000 Irish arrived on Famine ships over a period of time. They have erected a Famine memorial, which the Minister of State has seen. It is a replica of the one on the Liffey here minus one statue symbolically. They are hugely proud of their Irish roots.

The Minister of State might bear in mind that many of the public understand the imperative of ministerial and parliamentary visits. Very few would be aware of the intensity of the programme of those visits and even fewer still would be aware of the impact it makes on the communities we visit, both in terms of the work they do but also the impression it makes. It is like someone coming to your house. If they speak to you on the phone or go on Zoom or Microsoft Teams with you on the Internet, it is one thing. If they visit personally, it is another thing. It is what it says for a start. Clearly, it makes a much stronger impression. As politicians, we can be a little bit shy about championing that piece. It is really connected to foreign direct investment. It is very directed, as the Minister of State said, to jobs and to what the Taoiseach said recently, namely, essentially putting bread on people's tables. It is part of that piece.

It is really important. I remember very early in my political career being a member of the European Committee of the Regions. I think the Cathaoirleach may have been a member, too. I remember in my very first meeting a politician, who is no longer elected, asking me what I was doing putting up on social media that I was there and why I wanted people to know I was away. I said it was our job. I look at the committee membership and know many members have come from a commercial background and have travelled for business. My late father was a travelling salesman on the road for 35 years. Quite bluntly, it is about the importance of getting out into market, not just for the pure economic returns, but for the social, political and diplomatic returns. Ministerial visits and parliamentary delegations are vital.

I was very taken by the Cathaoirleach's comments regarding Canada. He mentioned the Famine memorial and how it matched the one on the quays except for the fact that there was one less person in the Canadian Famine memorial, marking the fact that so many Irish people died on the very torturous crossing. I think of the personal relationship that has been developed with Mr. James Maloney MP, the chair of the Canadian-Irish parliamentary caucus, and Deputy McGreehan, who chairs our caucus. I was quite struck when the Taoiseach met Prime Minister Carney in September. Prime Minister Carney has three Irish grandparents. He is a Ballina man. That is how he introduced himself. Canada, in particular, offers a real opportunity. We will have two Ministers there for St. Patrick's Day. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, was only there two weeks ago and I was there in September. The potential for the Irish-Canadian relationship, not just economically, but in getting our values across and making sure we are committed to international development and that we respect human rights and the rule of law, cannot be understated for a minute.

One of things that struck us in Canada was the European feel of the country and the shared values. Deputy Brian Brennan raised the issue of Gaza. In my experience, there is not an opportunity missed by Ministers or whoever is leading parliamentary delegations to communicate Ireland's views across a range of matters to our international partners, whether it is at European or international level, to state how we feel about something and to reinforce the message about where we stand on issues. Gaza would be a very obvious one, as would Ukraine, in the international context recently.

I call Deputy Shay Brennan.

I thank the Minister of State and his officials for sitting with us to answer some of our questions. I want to focus on Ukraine. It is topical. The European Parliament voted through a €90 billion package today, which I welcome. It is essential. Ukraine is at the vanguard of something about which we are all concerned. From the Minister of State's own Department's perspective, between the humanitarian fund and the stabilisation fund, substantial money is going into Ukraine. Will he set out in clear and concrete terms what effect that is having on the ground in terms of people reached, services restored and communities supported? It is incumbent on Ireland to make such donations to assist Ukraine in its time of need. It is not a small amount of money but it is necessary and we should be putting forward those funds. It would just be very good to get a clearer understanding as to where it is going and, ultimately, what the benefit of us doing that is.

I thank the Deputy. As I said from the outset, the conflict in Ukraine matters, not just politically or diplomatically. It is literally felt in the pocket of every household in Ireland. Our energy prices are higher, our food prices are higher and we have various services under pressure directly because the Russian Federation has had a full-scale illegal invasion for the last nearly four years. The Ukrainians are fighting not just for themselves, but for Europe. This conflict matters. I appreciate there may be some fatigue with some people or people can become desensitised by the horrific reports of more overnight drone attacks, more children killed and more hospitals blown up. That is why the Irish commitment is total. Up to a period of time, it was fairly universal in these Houses but I will state on record that I was disgusted by the comments by Deputy Doherty last week when we were debating the €90 billion loan package and appalled that three Irish MEPs voted against that package in the European Parliament.

They are the same people who stood with the Deputy and me outside the Russian Embassy, which is in our constituency, protesting the illegal invasion, who clapped for the visiting President and wanted a selfie with him and who gave out all those words of condemnation and solidarity, but who now have completely turned their back on the people of Ukraine.

I am sorry to be so political about this but it has to be called out because, unfortunately, too many people do not realise that Ireland's expenditure, which amounts to more than €400 million since the conflict broke out, is making a real difference. When President Zelenskyy was here, we announced an allocation of €25 million for Ukraine's energy sector to repair pipelines, provide reserves and ensure the supplies are there to fix the infrastructure. Temperatures in Ukraine at the moment are approximately -20 °C and Russia is targeting energy supplies in order to freeze innocent civilians in their homes. At the start of this year, I allocated €1 million each to Trócaire, the Irish Red Cross and Concern, which work in Ukraine to provide cold-weather packages. We are talking about the practical level of provision of sleeping bags, tarpaulin and shelters. An underground school has opened in partnership with Lithuania through the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, to ensure children living in the conflict area can still receive an education. Contributions from Ireland have gone towards defence of radar capabilities. Members of the Defence Forces have engaged in training practices to train Ukrainians to demine the area to ensure fewer people lose limbs or their lives walking through the area.

The money being spent by Ireland and being contributed by us to European-wide efforts matters. It is having an impact. However, I will be frank in saying we could and should do more.

Ireland is not an extremely large country and we do not have a limitless budget. Are the funds we contribute important beyond just what they do on the ground? We have at least been consistent in our contributions, which cannot be said for many other countries. Are we setting a good example in that regard? Further to that, are we targeting the funds correctly? I mean that in the context of our working with European partners. They have priorities and, clearly, we, too, have priorities. Are we getting a proper say, in line with our values, in how the funds we contribute via the EU are being applied?

The first point to make is that, of course, the funds, in a monetary sense, matter, but I would argue the political decisions matter more. We talk a lot about our values. We are not a transactional Government. We are not a country that operates on the international stage only on a transactional basis. We believe in our values, which add a rich and very clear sense of Irishness to our view of the world.

We have been absolutely consistent in our support for the Ukrainian people, who are the victims of an illegal full-scale invasion. Even though we are geographically the most distant EU member state from Ukraine, we are consistent in our support and have always contributed. That has not just been in terms of our very clear political support, which we showed when we backed the most recent round of sanctions, and will back the next round, and in that we have regularly ranked at the top of the chart in terms of sanctions implementation, which is key. We also provide financial support, bearing in mind that we are, in some regards, a little bit restrained in terms of our policy of military neutrality. That is a fact and one supported by a majority in the Houses and the majority of Irish people. It gives us a responsibility to be creative, for want of a better word, in how we ensure that in respect of the funding we give, we have clear sight of where it is distributed, whether through the European process or through joint procurement, to make sure it is in line with our own policy. We do not contribute lethal military aid. We are very clear on separating that out. Our military neutrality gives us a responsibility to ensure we can work with partners to procure quickly defensive radar systems and provide that very real humanitarian support.

It should not be lost for an instant that more than 124,000 Ukrainians have come to our country over the past four years, approximately 80,000 of whom remain. They have been welcomed, looked after under the protection directive and housed by Irish people. There has been a genuine warmth towards them, which goes towards our overall unwavering support. We were all in the Chamber when President Zelenskyy delivered a very stirring address that clearly referenced his gratitude, not necessarily to the Government but to the Irish people as a collective.

I will allow 15 minutes for a second round of questions from members, which the Minister of State might take collectively. I thank him for covering the European Presidency budget.

I speak on behalf of us all in thanking the passport service, which is probably only getting into gear in terms of new developments. If the Minister of State has anything he would like to tell us about that, we would be interested to hear it.

Irish people are going to see more and more of Canada on our horizon in a way we have not previously witnessed. That is because it is strategically important and we are investing in that relationship in a way we did not do before now. We are beginning, in this committee and as TDs, to get emails about the CETA arbitration process. The first question from every Canadian parliamentarian we meet, and from the Canadian ambassador, is about where the Oireachtas is at with CETA. The agreement is critical to the relationship between our countries. Our ambassador in Canada, H.E. John Concannon, is doing an excellent job.

Will the Minister of State speak a little about climate finance, to which he made reference?

Congratulations go from the committee to our former colleague Paschal Donohoe on his prestigious appointment to the World Bank. Does all the funding to that body come from the budgets of the Departments of Finance and-or public expenditure? Does any of it come from the Department of foreign affairs? The Minister of State might comment briefly on that.

Do we spend any money on soft diplomatic power - political diplomacy - separate from the expenditure on permanent diplomacy?

I concur with all the comments made regarding Canada but it would be remiss of me not to convey our sympathies to that country today.

Absolutely. I thank the Deputy for doing so.

The Canadian ambassador was in the Dáil today and I spoke to him directly. What has happened is shocking and our thoughts and prayers are with all the families affected.

I thank the Deputy for highlighting that.

In terms of finance, our contribution is only 0.418% of the total budget but, per capita, we are well up there and we are one of only two countries not cutting aid. However, I am frightened looking at the figures. We are saying there are 239 million people in need of aid but, based on the funds available right now, we can only look after 38% of that need. That is due to a lack of political will globally. Ireland is fighting its corner, standing up to the plate and supporting this effort. However, where is it going to end if we can support only 38% of the people who need help? What can we do about that shortfall of billions of euro? Do we need to think outside the box? Should we go to international companies, for example, and ask them to help? There are companies, some based in Ireland, making billions of euro. Do we need to ask them for help? We really are in an emergency and it is the people in the conflict areas who are being affected.

I am often asked outside Leinster House, in a context where we are giving tens, if not hundreds, of millions of euro to an international humanitarian fund, whether the Government has a say in exactly where that money is going. If we do get a say, how do we prioritise allocation, particularly when so much is going on in the global political situation at the moment?

I thank the Minister of State for his responses to all our questions. In reply to a question by Deputy Bennett about diplomatic missions, he indicated two new ones are being opened. Is there scope to open more missions? He explained the importance and benefit of having them.

There was an announcement that the Passport Office is to open a new branch in Cork. I hope that is still happening because it would take the pressure off the Dublin office. I compliment all the excellent staff in the Passport Office. People are getting passports much more quickly than was previously the case. I always say that once the documentation is right, people will get their passport, especially if they apply online. It is a great service.

It is very well done. The only reason there is a delay is that someone did not do their paperwork right but I think the Cork Passport Office would be good because we do everything good in Cork. We just want to follow on with the Passport Office, which would be of great benefit for the people of Cork and take the pressure off Dublin.

I feel a social media post coming on.

I hope so.

I have a quick question in relation to the percentage of gross national income, GNI, that we spend on official development assistance, ODA. We are not quite at the UN target of 0.7%. How far are we off that? What is our timeline and plan to get to that? Given everything the Minister of State has said and consistently says when he comes to this committee about the benefits of ODA, have we any plans to exceed that?

I thank the Deputy. I am not going to come back to him, is that okay? Has he got everything?

No, I will be okay.

The floor is the Minister of State's.

I will start off with the response in relation to passports to the Chair and Deputy McCarthy. Deputy McCarthy is right; there will be a relocation of the existing Passport Office in Cork that has been there for some time. I am fairly sure the Taoiseach already splashed it on The Echo, so I am sorry. It is a really exceptional service across the board. Over 800 people are working in the Passport Office, be they in Mount Street, Cork or out in Balbriggan, where the lion's share is. It must be noted that 96% of passports are processed online now. It is a really hyperefficient service. I think I read - and I could be wrong here - that 20,000 were dispatched last week alone around the world. Most people wait 48 hours for renewal. That is it, max; it is in your postbox. There will be a new passport book coming on stream, as we talked about in our additional Estimate last year, which will be increasingly secure. The Irish passport, depending on which target you read, is either the third or fourth most powerful passport in the world and a lot of that is not just our access in regard to visa to country but the resources put in by the amazing team in the Passport Office to make sure it is so secure.

I would like to echo - I am sorry, we should really have done it from the outset, a Chathaoirligh - my sympathies to the people of British Columbia after that awful tragedy overnight. I thank Deputy Brennan for bringing it up. It is really important, when we look at the opportunities for engagement with Canada, that we have not just the economic opportunities that the full ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, presents but equally the geopolitical responsibility to work with like-minded Canadian leaders across the political aisle on so many areas, particularly when you talk about climate. If we look at climate finance for us, we have reached our climate finance commitments at the end of 2025 and the vast majority relate to mitigation and adaptation. Unlike a lot of other climate actors, ours are grant-based and flexible. They work primarily with the least developed countries and we have a particular focus on what are known as the small island developing states, the likes of Tuvalu and Vanuatu, who are often forgotten by so many. That ties into an element of Deputy Brian Brennan's points in relation to a more wide understanding of where we are at it in regard to aid.

In relation to contributions around the World Bank, for clarity, that comes out of the Department of Finance but, of course, the Department of foreign affairs will be heavily engaged in anything to do with the World Bank. It is a commitment we make and it is calculated and re-evaluated on a multi-annual basis. It provides us with one of the soundest investments we can make as a State.

How come it is not one of the Minister of State's Department's budget heads, given the work it does, as a matter of interest?

It is paid out of central Exchequer funds. The World Bank covers everything, not just foreign affairs.

To return to Deputy Brennan's particular point, there is lots to be optimistic about in regard to what Ireland is doing in the world and we should be very proud of the commitment of so many people working in team Ireland, from the private and not-for-profit sectors, our aid agencies and particularly our diplomats. However, 2025 was probably the worst year in history for the international development sector and 2026 is going to be worse. This is something that is stark; 2027 will be worse again. The United States provided over 20% of the global international development infrastructure and that has been removed overnight. What has replaced it has been very different and piecemeal. It provides a huge challenge. Where we can play a part is that more than 40% of the global aid and development infrastructure, prior to the abolition of USAID and the recalculation, was provided by the EU and its member states. Within the EU, Ireland has increased its aid budget, as have our friends in Spain. The Danes have maintained it but pretty much every member state has cut theirs, some drastically. That compounds the decision by the current American Administration.

The British Government has signalled that it will be reducing, in terms of GNI, from 0.5% to 0.3%. It will still be putting a lot of money in the development sector. One of the things that struck me when I met my British counterpart after she was appointed to office is that she said when they announced this, there were no protests. I think back to 20 years ago when we had Make Poverty History marches. Thousands of people were on the streets of this capital city calling for us to embrace the sustainable development goals, to give real debt relief and look after the world by abolishing poverty. Unfortunately, over the past year, things have gone backwards and they are going backwards due to very clear political decisions. Let us call it out. This is not some sort of changing geopolitical environment. It is a very clear geopolitical situation. When I sit round Foreign Affairs Council meetings I am struck by three types of contribution. One is from about two of us, who say we are sticking beside international development and increasing our funding. Many others are saying they have budgetary constraints and they are looking at pensions internally and defence spending but I think it is a false narrative to say you have to cut development to increase defence funding. If you cut development funding, you are going to end up increasing your security funding in due course. That is where global instability comes from.

What really struck me, in my first development Ministers meeting, was three different Ministers from three different member states. I have no problem naming them: Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands, that is, three good, traditional donor states and good actors. Those Ministers, politicians like the members and me, said they are gleefully cutting their aid budgets. That is the sort of base level politics that is playing across the world. There are actors in this House - none of them are here at this committee - who would consistently try to rubbish international development and use false arguments and numbers to try to say this is not an investment. It is an investment that delivers a very real return for the Irish public.

When we talk about encouraging increasing levels of private finances, a lot of corporations set up philanthropic organisations. We work and partner with them in a number of key areas. It is to the point of what say we have as to where funds go. We have very much a values-based development sector. We work, first, with the 13 programme countries through Irish Aid, of which I have visited eight. I will, touch wood, finish the next five over the next 12 months and that is really important to state. We also work, clearly, with a range of UN agencies and multilateral partners and with our in-country team to respond to humanitarian need in regard to any crises that may emerge.

What we focus on is very clear. We are known as a global leader in tackling malnutrition. Ireland has committed to spending over €1 billion over the next four years in tackling malnutrition and hunger. Global rates of hunger are going up. HIV-AIDS and malaria infection rates are going up. They were all going down for the past 25 years but in the past year they are now all going up because people have pulled the funding from systems that work. As I mentioned, we could end famine in Gaza in eight to nine months but we need access and the real support.

Other areas we are very keen to work on relate to gender and to women and girls. That has become the victim of someone else's culture war and that is not acceptable. We have a very difficult history in this State in regard to how we treat women and girls and we have to own that. We have to make sure that our actions today, globally, are inspired by righting the wrongs that we were perhaps guilty of domestically. There is a situation where female genital mutilation is on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa again. There are more incidences of child marriages. Thirteen year old girls are told they cannot go to school any more and they have to marry their uncle. Rape is being used as a weapon of war in Sudan. That is why we have women and girls at the heart of our agenda across where we work, particularly in Afghanistan, to complement a lot of work that is being done by a lot of good people.

It would be remiss of me not to refer to general health. I have a personal passion, particularly in relation to maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a great history of Irish missionaries who have worked in education and health services across the world. At one stage, there were over 5,000 Irish missionaries. It is about 500 now. The highest amount are in Zambia and the youngest is 54. It is our responsibility to make sure that we fund the aid agencies and multilateral organisations who can work towards their record and testament.

In response to Deputy Shay Brennan, on our GNI percentage, technically it is 0.49%.

However, we deliberately remove in-country support for Ukrainian refugees, which brings it down to 0.41%. Not every country does that. For us, it is not necessarily about hitting a percentage mark or artificially inflating the figures. It is about getting resources to the point where they are needed. The closest we came to reaching the 0.7% was during the financial crash. When your metric is GNI and you are a very successful country economically, which we are, that percentage point metric is more difficult to reach. However, we are going to spend over €860 million on ODA this year. That is a real commitment. It is actual. Unlike others, ours is going up. I think I have covered all of the points. I look forward to visiting the Deputy Noel McCarthy passport office.

I thank the Minister of State and his officials. Not all of them were called on, but we value their presence. I thank the officials of the committee and our sound and light technicians who keep the show on the road. That was really useful. I thank the Minister of State for coming in and ask him to bring our best wishes back to the Minister. We have not met her yet but we look forward to meeting with her before the Presidency begins, if possible, because we know she will be really busy during it. I thank Deputy Shay Brennan for raising the issue of the atrocity in Canada. I will bring a formal proposal to the private meeting of the committee on Tuesday with a view to expressing our condolences. I thank the Deputy for raising that and I thank the Minister of State for his comments. We have now completed our consideration of the Revised Estimates for Vote 27 - International Co-operation and Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade. The clerk will send a message to that effect to the Clerk of the Dáil.

The select committee will now adjourn until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 17 February, when we will meet for Committee Stage of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025.