Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Sep 1997

Vol. 480 No. 6

Written Answers - Overseas Aid.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

89 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his intentions in relation to the bilateral and multilateral aid programmes; if he foresees any extension of these programmes in 1998; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14726/97]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. R. Burke):

The Estimates for 1998 have still to be negotiated but I am confident that the amount of money allocated to official development assistance in 1998 will show a substantial increase. The action programme for the millennium has set the interim target that Ireland's official development assistance will reach 0.45 per cent of GNP by 2002 on the way to reaching the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP. The ODA allocation for 1998 will take the first step in the increase towards that target.

Expenditure on ODA in 1997 is expected to amount to £122 million which will be equivalent to 0.31 per cent of GNP. Of this total, £78 million (almost 65 per cent) has been allocated for bilateral assistance and £39 million (32 per cent) for expenditure on multilateral assistance. I intend that the main focus of Irish aid will continue to be bilateral assistance and that the focus on our priority country programmes will be maintained as the budget is increased. Currently Ireland's bilateral aid programme concentrates on six priority countries: Lesotho, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Mozambique. Bilateral Assistance also comprises expenditure on emergency humanitarian relief, rehabilitation, human rights and democratisation projects as well as providing for a range of other schemes such as fellowships, development education and the NGO cofinancing scheme. The number of priority countries and the range of programmes we undertake will be kept under review.

Multilateral assistance includes our mandatory contributions to the European Development Fund, Lomé, and to the aid programmes of the European Union and also voluntary contibutions to the UN development agencies, UNICEF, UNHCR etc. I intend to further strengthen the coherence of our bilateral programme and its multilateral dimension.