The House will now hear two minute statements on matters appropriate to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and to the Minister for Finance. I propose to call Deputy Michael D. Higgins on a matter appropriate to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Adjournment Debate. - Foreign Affairs and Finance Matters.
I am grateful to the office of the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me the opportunity of raising the position that prevails in the Horn of Africa, indeed in southern Africa in general and Somalia in particular.
Anybody who has been watching the reportage from Africa, transmitted by RTE, must be deeply concerned about the dreadful circumstances there and of the death and deprivation in Somalia, in particular.
I know the Minister is personally oriented to being positive in his response. The southern countries of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe which were traditionally the food suppliers of southern Africa are themselves in difficulty and that will necessarily have a knock-on effect on those to whom they supplied food. At Community level there is need for an action plan to run until July 1993, at least, and to be supplemented by an emergency aid plan to deal with the worst aspects of the crisis in the short term. I believe this is necessary, and I say so with great care, to avoid the catastrophes of 1984-85.
In the case of Somalia, as I mentioned in my note to the Ceann Comhairle aid workers are asking for international protection for the supply of aid when it becomes available. They say that the number of deaths is on a scale they cannot manage. They are asking for the basics of food, water and shelter. These horrific deaths, shortages and deprivation are taking place against the background of a decline in human rights. This is a dimension in the Somalia problem.
There is also a need for the Department to address what has happened in Malawi and how this has affected Irish citizens. Again, in another part of Africa, there is the suggestion of what is to happen in Eritrea in the context of the referendum to be held there.
I know the Minister will want to be as positive as he can but I cannot impress sufficiently the need at present, when international attention has shifted to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, with the necessary pullback in aid and investment in other parts, for us both nationally, as Irish people and as a member of the Community to address the situation in Africa as a matter of very grave urgency.
I certainly appreciate the Deputy raising this matter which has concerned the nation generally over the past number of weeks as we have been looking with concern at the horror story on our television screens. Sometimes I feel utterly helpless in the face of this ongoing human tragedy.
The current situation in the Horn of Africa is of serious concern to the Government and to the international community in general. It is estimated that 23 million people are threatened by the effects of drought, food shortages and conflict. It is clear that a major international relief effort will be required to avert a catastrophe in the region.
The food shortages are immense. The World Food Programme has estimated that the total food requirements in the area in 1992 will be over two million metric tonnes.
Ireland has responded both bilaterally and through multilateral organisations, in particular the EC which is a major donor to both long term and emergency food aid to the region. In 1991 the EC Commission and EC member states combined provided over £80 million worth of food aid to the Horn of Africa in the provision of which, of course, Ireland participated. Ireland also provided generous bilateral emergency aid. The Horn of Africa has been the biggest single beneficiary of Irish Government bilateral relief aid, which since January 1990 amounts to nearly £2 million. This month Ireland provided a further £200,000 in bilateral emergency aid, through multilateral agencies and Irish NGOs, to Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia.
The crisis in the region as the Deputy properly said, is not just one of food aid. In Ethiopia, despite the ending of a 30 year civil war in 1991, the devastated infrastructure, drought and large numbers of refugees and displaced persons have led to a situation where a large section of the population is at risk from infectious disease as well as from famine.
In the Sudan the world food programme estimates that, despite an increase in food production, between seven and eight million people will require food aid. The situation is compounded by drought and the continuing civil war, which has resulted in a large number of refugees and displaced persons. Relief flights to the south have also been hampered. We welcome the recent decision of the Sudanese Government to allow the resumption of a food air-lift to the south for one month and wish to see this extended. The need for peace negotiations to resolve the long-running civil war has also been stressed by us in recent contacts which the Irish Ambassador has had with the Sudanese authorities.
There has been growing concern in Ireland and among our EC partners at the efforts by the Sudanese Government to forcibly relocate large numbers of displaced persons and refugees from camps near urban areas to remote sites. It is estimated that around one million people are living in such camps around the capital, Khartoum. Ireland has joined with its EC partners and the United Nations in making strong protests to the Sudanese authorities and has insisted that any relocation of the displaced must be carried out in a phased and humanitarian way which takes full account of the welfare of these people.
The situation in Somalia is particularly critical due to drought, food shortage and the effects of civil war. Over two million people, out of a total population of seven million, have fled from urban areas to rural areas in search of relief assistance. Ireland has fully supported and continues to support the United Nations mandatory arms embargo imposed in January of this year and the United Nations initiatives to obtain a halt to the fighting in order that the humanitarian assistance may reach the suffering civilian population. Deputies will be aware of the UN Security Council decision last week to deploy a unit of 50 UN observers to monitor the ceasefire in Mogadishu in accordance with the Secretary-General's report. We also welcome the appointment last week by the Secretary-General of Mr. Mohammad Sahnoun as his Special Representative for Somalia and will continue to support the Secretary-General's endeavours to bring peace to Somalia.
Being aware of the Deputy's deep commitment to human rights and his outstanding record in that area, if he feels that any further action by the Irish Government would help the situation I would be anxious to hear from him in that regard. My own view, as the Deputy is well aware, is that Dáil backbenchers' services are not sufficiently availed of in bringing the message of aid, hope and peace to those Third World areas the Deputy so properly addresses.
The House will now hear a two minute statement from Deputy Mattie Brennan on a matter appropriate to the Minister for Finance.
I am raising this matter on behalf of meter readers employed with the ESB, a number of whom have contacted me. They receive 17p for reading urban metres and 43p for rural meters. The difference between the two, which is 26p, is considered to be expenses. However, on their P60 their overall income is taken into account and expenses are ignored. Most of these people are part time and are paying class S1 insurance. They drive hundreds of miles every week. The people who contacted me in my constituency cover parts of Sligo and Mayo and others cover Leitrim and part of Roscommon. They receive no car expenses whatsoever. They have also been debarred from receiving headage payments on the ground that their income is over the limit. However, if their expenses were taken into account they would be well under the specified amount of headage qualification.
The ESB do not pay any PRSI contributions for them; therefore they are deemed self-employed. Recently a person from Enniscrone, County Sligo, informed me he has a child who will be attending a third level college this year. That child will not qualify for a grant if his income from farming is taken into account with his income from meter reading. The reason I raise this very important matter this evening was to try to ensure that the 26p, the difference between what they receive for urban meter reading and rural meter reading, is not put on their P60 and taken into account for tax purposes; otherwise they would qualify for third level grants.
Labhraím ar son an Aire Airgeadais. I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that all meter readers paid by the ESB are regarded for income tax purposes as being under a contract of service. Accordingly they are subject to tax under the PAYE system. The decision by Revenue to treat meter readers as being under a contract of service, PAYE, rather than of service, self-employed, was confirmed by the Appeal Commissioners, in another case, on 5 June 1986.
As regards the taxpayer specifically mentioned by the Deputy, I am informed that he is subjected to tax on his gross payment from the ESB and the gross amount must, therefore be included on his form P60. An employee under the PAYE system is allowed a deduction from taxable income in respect of expenses incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily in respect of his employment. The inspector of taxes has agreed to allow the taxpayer a deduction of £3,250 for the current tax year in respect of such expenses incurred by the taxpayer and his wife, who is also a meter reader. The question of PRSI is of course one for the Department of Social Welfare.
The question of the income to be taken into account in determining the taxpayer's eligibility for headage grants is primarily a matter for the Department of Agriculture. However my understanding is that the off-farm income limit for headage payments has been abolished. The taxpayer should however check this with the Department of Agriculture. I think the Deputy will be able to assist him in that regard.
I hope this answer addresses the Deputy's concerns. If the Deputy requires any further assistance, the Minister for Finance has indicated to me that he will be glad to deal with the matter again.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.40 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Friday, 1 May 1992.