Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 May 2014
36. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will address the concerns raised by a group of students in correspondence (details supplied) regarding overseas development assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20796/14]
View answerI can confirm that I have received the correspondence referred to and have replied to the group of secondary school students involved. I warmly welcome their commitment to Ireland’s aid programme, to the role of education in fight against poverty and to the plight of child labourers. I also acknowledge their concerns about any reductions in the overall aid budget.
The Government is very strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme and to its place at the heart of Irish foreign policy. Our commitment to development cooperation is clear in the Programme for Government and has been strongly reiterated in our new policy for international development - One World One Future. The policy sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world in which people are empowered to overcome poverty and hunger and to fully realise their rights and potential. Our international development policy clearly states that the Government remains committed to the UN target of providing 0.7% of GNP in Official Development Assistance (ODA), and to making further progress towards achieving it as soon as economic circumstances permit.
Despite the very severe economic and budgetary situation we have faced, the Government has clearly demonstrated its determination since coming into office to maintain and stabilise the budget for the aid programme to the maximum possible extent. In the three years 2011 - 2013, a total of over €1.9 billion was provided for ODA. For 2014, the Government has allocated almost €600 million for ODA. While this represents a slight reduction, of about 3%, on the 2013 allocation, it remains a hugely significant allocation of public funds for Ireland’s aid programme, at a time of economic difficulty.
In their letter, the students rightly point out the damaging impact of child labour, including on a child’s ability to attend school and to develop in a safe and healthy environment. Our new development policy affirms Ireland’s commitment to improving access to education and to protecting the rights of children. We recognise from our own history that improving access to quality education is central to efforts to reduce poverty and promote inclusive economic growth. In 2012, for instance, we provided a total of €33.9 million from the Irish Aid budget for education programmes in developing countries.
As a result of determined international efforts to invest in education, there are now more children in school than ever before. Between 1999 and 2009, the global school-aged population increased by 25% and primary school enrolment increased by 59%. However progress has not been uniform across the world and recent statistics show that progress has slowed down since 2005. As of 2011, as many as 57 million children, 54% of them girls, remain out of school. Lower enrolment and primary school completion rates for girls remain a particular problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is the geographic focus for our aid programme.
Ireland also strongly supports international efforts to eliminate child labour. Irish Aid provides specific support to the International Labour Organisation’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. This year and next year, our funding is supporting efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour from tobacco growing in Malawi and Zambia, quarrying in India, artisanal fishing in Ghana and stone-breaking in Benin.
