Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 October 2013
65. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he intends to keeps the promise to assign 0.7% of spending on overseas development aid by 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41566/13]
View answerThe Government is committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme. This commitment was expressed and enhanced by the publication earlier this year of our new Policy on International Development, “One World, One Future” which clearly sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world, and our goals and areas of focus for the coming years. It also reaffirms the centrality of the aid programme to our foreign policy. The new policy states clearly our commitment 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 - a significant achievement in the context of the very difficult conditions facing the country. For 2012 Ireland provided almost €629 million in ODA, representing 0.47% of GNP. For 2013 the Government has allocated a total of €622 million in ODA. These very significant allocations of public funds are evidence of a consolidation of the development assistance budget and represent a genuine investment on behalf of the Irish people in assisting those less fortunate than ourselves.
