Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2013
155. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if it is expected that Ireland will honour its commitment to reach a target of spending 0.7% of our national income on overseas aid by 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22223/13]
View answerThe Government is strongly committed to Ireland's overseas aid programme. Earlier this month the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore TD and I launched Ireland's new Policy on International Development – One World, One Future – where we set out our vision for a sustainable and just world. This policy sets out in very clear terms our goals and areas of focus and affirms Ireland's commitment to international development and its centrality to our foreign policy. It also makes it clear that our positive role in international development, in addition to helping fight poverty and vulnerability and saving lives, can create opportunities, which are important for our own economic recovery.
The new policy restates the Programme for Government commitment to achieving the UN target of providing 0.7% of GNP to Official Development Assistance (ODA). However this can only be achieved when economic circumstances permit and in the meantime we will endeavour to maintain aid expenditure at current levels.
Stabilising the ODA budget has been an important and significant achievement for this Government, particularly in light of the extraordinarily difficult economic conditions facing the country. For the record, we have allocated €622 million to ODA for 2013. This represents a very significant allocation of public funds, is a clear indication of our commitment to the aid programme, and represents a genuine investment on behalf of the Irish people to assist those less fortunate than ourselves.
