Arthur Spring
Question:63. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's current strategy on overseas aid; and if Ireland's commitment to overseas aid until 2015 will be met. [32691/13]
View answerThursday, 4 July 2013
Questions (63)
Written answers
The Government remains committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme. Our new Policy on International Development, “One World, One Future”, clearly sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world, and our goals and areas of focus for the coming years. It reaffirms the Government’s commitment to international development and its centrality to our foreign policy. The new policy restates the commitment in the Programme for Government to achieving the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) for Official Development Assistance (ODA) when economic circumstances permit. Over the past two years, the Government has broadly stabilised the budget for development assistance. This is a significant achievement in the context of the very difficult conditions facing the country. For 2013 we have allocated a total of €622 million for ODA. Of this €497 million is managed by my Department under Vote 27 - International Cooperation. The remainder is made up of ODA eligible contributions from other Government Departments and Ireland’s share of the EU Development Cooperation Budget.