I welcome members to the first meeting of the sub-committee. The sub-committee's orders of reference refer to three main fields: Ireland's relations with developing countries in the field of development co-operation, trade and debt; the Government's official development assistance programme; and the role of the United Nations in the field of overseas development. We will be producing a draft work plan and any suggestions or ideas in this regard should be forwarded to me or the secretariat. I anticipate that we will meet once every four weeks but that is entirely up to members. If any member is interested in an issue that requires us to meet more frequently, it can be accommodated. I expect that we will probably increase the frequency of meetings once we get going. We can discuss members' views on how the sub-committee should proceed in private session, if necessary.
