Statements on Government Irish Aid Strategy - 13th November 2007

Statements on Government Irish Aid Strategy - 13th November 2007

Senator David Norris: I wish to share my time
with Senator Mullen and Senator Bacik.
1179 Government’s Irish Aid Strategy: 13 November 2007. Statements 1180
An Leas-Chathaoirleach: Is that agreed?
Agreed.
Senator David Norris: I am being greedy in
taking seven or eight minutes while the remaining
time will be shared between the Senators. I think
it is five or six minutes and three minutes. I know
the Leas-Chathaoirleach will be his usual flexible
self.
I welcome the Minister of State, who is an old
friend from the Oireachtas Committee on
Foreign Affairs. I noticed that we were visited by
a distinguished delegation led by the Chairman of
that committee. I am not sure which countries
were represented but it is good they came to the
House.
I note some positive things in the Minister of
State’s speech, such as the acknowledgement of
the need to move towards a goal of 0.7% of gross
national product by 2012, given the disappointment
of an earlier promise which was given categorically
by the Taoiseach. At least, we are more
or less on track, which I definitely welcome.
I remember when, during a meeting of the
Oireachtas Committee of Foreign Affairs, Liz
O’Donnell, who was a member of the Government
at the time, said that the only way to copperfasten
it was to legislate for it and put in an
annual budget head. That is what is necessary if
one is serious about it so let us do it. Let us not
have pious conversation about it. We are at 0.5%
, which is reasonably healthy. We expect to get to
0.6% by 2010 and 0.7% by 2012. I know the Minister
of State will be on our side with regard to
this but let us legislate for it. If we are serious
about giving commitments, let us copperfasten
them.
I also very much welcome the idea of a hunger
task force. Of course, our aid has increased. It is
about \800 million this year. We have an obligation
to the Irish taxpayer to ensure we invest
in the expertise which will allow us to administer
it effectively. I am saying this following Hans
Zomer from Do´ chas which recently launched a
very important series of documents just down the
road from this House. We must other monitor
international trade agreements to ensure that the
selfish northern countries do not, through their
trade agreements, significantly undermine the
money transferred from Irish taxpayers. There is
not much point if it ends up in the pockets of
multinationals.
I wish to raise the issue of corruption. I was
astonished by the fact that there was not a single
mention of it in the Minister of State’s speech. In
addition, there was no mention of it in the speech
of the principal spokesman for the Opposition,
although Senator Daly did make a glancing reference
to it twice in his speech. However, they were
glancing references and I think we must really
look at the issue. The nine developing countries
that have received most of our aid — in other
words, taxpayers’ money from this country —
remain at the bottom of the scale measuring levels
of corruption, although there have been some
improvements. All but two of those programme
countries nominated by Irish Aid, the Government’s
overseas development division, score less
than three in Transparency International’s Corruption
Perceptions Index. This is a ghastly
phenomenon and suggests we should get as much
money as possible directly to NGOs, particularly
to people like Mr. John O’Shea and Mr. Niall
Mellon, who builds houses in South Africa. As an
Irish person I am proud of that and we know that
every penny goes directly to helping people,
which is not the case with the hundreds of millions
siphoned off by corrupt dictators for their
floozies, mistresses, arms and toys for big boys.
That is not why we pay tax in this country.
If we are serious we can ratify the UN Convention
against Corruption. I understand we have
not done so and I ask the Minister of State to
give a commitment to ratifying the convention or
else a convincing reason why we have not done
so. We must publish that legislation within the
term of this Parliament.
We should also adopt the UN human rights
norms for business guidelines, which we have not
done. We should push for an international convention
to end banking secrecy. This allows these
blackguards to squirrel their money away in numbered
bank accounts in respectable European
countries such as Switzerland. As a compliant tax
payer, who has just shelled out \20,000 in preliminary
tax returns, I do not want to see it in Mobutu
Sese Seko’s bank account in Geneva. I object to
that. We seek better governance and should help
those who improve. Those who do not should not
receive a penny. Instead, the money should be
distributed through agencies such as GOAL and
Mr. Niall Mellon.
We should support the extractive industry’s
transparency initiative and the publish what you
pay initiatives. Many of these countries in Africa
have major natural resources and are being
exploited in the interest of dictators and multinationals.
We are entitled to know what is happening.
It is a filthy thing when we see leaders
taking money from the poorest and the most disadvantaged,
money to which these groups are
entitled. This has major consequences and means
disease, lack of water and the capacity to survive
on this planet. The sums involved are enormous,
hundreds of millions and up to \15 billion in
some cases. This is inappropriate. We need to set
up clean water systems.
There is major embezzlement and extortion by
officials, weak financial administration and no
accountability in these recipient countries. Mr.
Martin Meredith, one of the shrewdest observers
of Africa points out that of 53 countries in Africa,
only South Africa and Botswana are better off
now than under colonial rule, an appalling indictment.
The African Union acknowledges that $148
billion is lost to corruption. Why are we feeding
this corruption? It is like pouring petrol on
flames.
The US Senate established a committee that
reported its findings in a study in 2004 that the
1181 Government’s Irish Aid Strategy: 13 November 2007. Statements 1182
World Bank has lost $1 billion of funds slated for
development in the worlds poorest countries
since 1946. This amounts to a 20% bleed-off of
its lending portfolio to keep these corrupt people.
Mr. Paul Wolfowitz attempted to do something,
as did Mr. Hilary Benn, who called for an international
framework. At the instigation of people
like Bono, the G8 is increasing aid by $50 million
but Mr. Hilary Benn, who I know, states that it is
hard to see how this bonanza will help to eradicate
poverty unless governments on the continent
are serious about fighting corruption.
I suggest a few ideas. Can a government that
signally fails to guarantee the wellbeing of its citizens
be trusted with our money when we know it
is on the take? We are aware of it. In November
2006, the Department of Foreign Affairs acknowledged
to the Committee of Public Accounts that
dealing with corrupt governments of countries
such as Ethiopia and Uganda was “not ideal”, a
phrase that keeps cropping up. It is the diplomatic
term for “completely rotten”. In May, the
audit committee of the Department of Foreign
Affairs highlighted the absence of a clear fraud
policy in the Department. We should have one.
Deputy Michael Noonan, then Chairman of the
Public Accounts Committee, stated on 2 June
that it would be considered inadvisable to accept
the audit of a government of sub-Saharan Africa.
Let us deal with Ethiopia and Uganda, counties
that are a byword for scandal. We gave \29 million
and \32 million respectively to these countries.
Do we know where it went? We know
where a significant proportion of it went. This disgraces
the wonderful work of Father Shay Cullen
and Mr. Tom Hyland, who I am proud to call a
friend. I brought him to the Joint Committee on
Foreign Affairs but we are letting down these
people. I am astonished there was no mention of
corruption in the speech of the Minister of State.