I bow to the Senator's superior knowledge of carrots. One might accuse him of giving them to an ass. It was an interesting discussion and I would like to thank those Senators who contributed and who were anxious to help. Senator Ryan appeared to divide the world into the haves and the have nots and classified Ireland as being among the haves. He said our record has been poor and continues to be bad. I cannot accept that, because we have the will to help others. Ireland's record has been reasonably good and continues to improve. Sometimes we may think that other countries that have had their wealth based on colonies and now give financial aid to developing countries are merely salving their consciences, but I do not accept that.
I note what Senator McDonald said. During our term in Europe when we were both there, there was a heart-warming awareness among people of the need to help developing countries. Ireland has always helped other countries not in financial terms but in human terms which may have been much more effective.
The motion before the House is the second step in the procedure to establish a Joint Committee of the Oireachtas on Co-operation with Developing Countries. As the terms of the motion indicate, a similar motion of expediency, which is the first step in the procedure, has been approved by Dáil Éireann.
The committee will afford Members of both Houses a greater opportunity than has been possible heretofore to consider the whole range of issues in the field of development co-operation. Up to now the principal occasions on which this has been possible have been the debates on the Vote for International Co-operation which covers many of the headings of our official development assistance. These occasions, however, do not permit a detailed discussion of the many complex and interrelated issues which fill the development co-operation spectrum. The proposed committee will remedy this imbalance by providing a separate and detached forum for considering these issues.
The need for this sort of detailed consideration is all the more urgent because of the increasing sums of money being devoted to official development assistance by successive Governments. In a very short time we have made considerable strides in this area: in 1974 ODA amounted to less than £2 million; this year, the figure will be more than £26 million. By any standards this is substantial progress and it is appropriate that Members of the Oireachtas should have an opportunity to monitor on a continuous basis the expenditure of these moneys.
This monitoring of expenditure has become an issue lately. It has made this committee all the more meaningful. None of us, either on this side of the House or the other, is likely to forget the advice that the angel gave to Séadna: ná déan dearmad ar an trócaire — do not forget mercy. Ní dhéanfaimid ar an dtaobh seo nó ar an dtaobh eile dearmad ar an trócaire.
It is to be hoped that the committee will also fulfil an indirect role in relation to development education. Senators on all sides of the House I am sure will agree on the need for effective development education in order to increase among Irish people, interest in and awareness of development problems. I believe that the proposed joint committee, by giving a focus to the authority and influence of Members of the Oireachtas in this field, will provide a clear lead to public opinion which will stimulate others to follow their interest in this area.
The terms of reference of the proposed committee are set out in the motion before the House. The committee will be empowered to cover all aspects of development co-operation reflecting the variety and diversity of issues involved in this field.
I hope that Members on all sides of the House will approach this joint committee in a spirit of co-operation and understanding. Our responsibility to the Third World is such that we must devote all our energies to evolving the best possible policies and approaches in this area. I hope that this committee will make a significant contribution towards this end. There is a great deal of experience and expertise on all sides of this House and in the Dáil which I hope will be applied towards the success of this committee and the area of development co-operation to which it will address itself.
