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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 21 Mar 2001

Vol. 533 No. 1

Written Answers. - Overseas Development Aid.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

82 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount payable from Ireland's aid over each of the past three years and projected for the year 2001 for the provision of clean water and sanitation facilities. [8297/01]

It is not possible to give exact figures on such expenditure. Funding in priority country programmes is channelled in a variety of ways. For example in area based programmes, we agree with the local authorities to provide assistance in health and education, aspects of which relate to the provision of clean water. Assistance in these areas at sectoral level in the priority countries also involves the provision of clean water and improved sanitation. Similarly we cannot calculate how much of Ireland's contributions to various multilateral agencies or through emergency assistance goes on water and sanitation.

The most that one can provide are figures for specific expenditure in the six priority countries on potable water and sanitation in the three years 1998 to 2000, which are as follows:

Year

£million

1998

5.9

1999

7.2

2000

7.8

Austin Currie

Question:

83 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he expects the United Nations target of 0.7% of gross national product in overseas development assistance to be reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8430/01]

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government, reflecting the popular support for assistance to poorer countries, decided last September to increase the allocation for official development assistance (ODA) each year between 2001 and 2007 with the intention of reaching by 2007 the United Nations target for such aid of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP).

As part of that commitment, the Government has also agreed the allocation for Vote 39, the Vote for international cooperation, which is the core part of ODA, for the three year period 2001 to 2003. The intention of this agreement is to reach in 2002 an interim target for ODA of 0.45% of GNP and to maintain momentum in the following year towards the UN target.

Based on estimates of GNP the allocations for ODA for the period 2001 to 2007 are calculated as follows:

Year

£million

Estimated %of GNP

2001

261

0.35

2002

365

0.45

2003

419

0.48

2004

488

0.51

2005

572

0.57

2006

672

0.62

2007

800

0.70

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