asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs why following his statement in Seanad Éireann on 19 November 1980 that the Government were committed to the achievement of the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP for official development assistance at the end of the 1980s, the Irish delegation to the UN indicated on 5 December 1980 that the target might not be reached within the specified time scale.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Official Development Assistance Target.
28.
There is no contradiction between my statement in Seanad Éireann on 19 November 1980 and the statement made by the Irish delegation to the UN on 5 December 1980. We are committed to exerting our best efforts towards reaching 0.7 per cent of GNP for official development aid as soon as possible. What the Irish delegation said regarding the 0.7 per cent target, on my instructions, was: The Government of Ireland have accepted the 0.7 per cent aid target and intend to reach it as soon as possible, although it may not be feasible for them to do so within the specified time frames....
The statement reflects the commitment of the Government to the target and also the Government's honest assessment of this matter in the light of the difficult world economic situation. In a similar vein, in Seanad Éireann during the course of the Brandt Report debate, I said... "we hope to achieve 0.7 per cent of GNP by the end of the decade" (Seanad Official Report, vol. 95, col. 226, 19 November 1980).