Vol. 447 No. 11
42 Miss Quill asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if there will be an increase in Irish overseas development aid in 1995 over and above the 1994 figure; and if the target of 0.7 per cent of Gross National Product will be achieved by 1997. [1472/95]
The Estimates for 1995 have not been published yet but I am confident that the amount of money allocated to official development assistance in 1995 will show a sustantial increase.
Over the last two years there have been major increases in ODA funding; a total of £54.6 million was spent on ODA in 1993 compared with £40 million in 1992. Last year's expenditure is likely to amount to around £70 million. This means that the level of Government spending on ODA has increased by £30 million in the two years since 1992 and, as I have already said, a further large increase is planned for this year.
The Programme for Renewal has reaffirmed the commitment to increase Ireland's official development assistance significantly so as to make steady progress towards achieving the UN goal of 0.7 per cent of GNP. By 1997 we should be spending around 0.4 per cent of GNP on development aid which will put us on a par with most of our EU partners. Like other Members of the House, I would wish to proceed thereafter as rapidly as possible towards achieving the UN goal of 0.7 per cent of GNP.
