asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of Government aid which will be forthcoming from this country to help developing countries in the present year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bilateral Aid Programme.
40.
An overall sum of £9.638 million will be available for assistance to developing countries in the present year.
Could I ask the Minister of State to explain why the increase in official development assistance in 1978, namely .04 per cent of 1978 GNP, falls short of the target increase of .05 per cent of 1978 GNP, especially as the process of catching up on the shortfall forced on the previous Government by financial stringency in 1976 was started by the National Coalition Government last year, when the increase significantly exceeded .05 per cent of that year's GNP? Why the step backwards, in the light of the assurances of the previous Minister and his enthusiasm in Opposition for moving ahead in this area?
As the former Minister for Foreign Affairs is aware, the increase this year is 32 per cent over last year, and it represents the intention of the Government to aim at the .7 per cent of GNP prescribed by the United Nations. There has been quite a substantial increase on this year's figures over last year's and previous figures. Taking all in all, it represents the bona fides of the Government to give aid where it is so urgently required.
Would the Minister accept that it is .04 per cent as against last year's .055 per cent? Will he accept that the European Economic Community and other national agencies have increased their development assistance between 1974 and 1979 by .05 per cent of each year's GNP taking one year with another, and that this would involve an ODA level of about £16 million in 1979?
If progress was to be made as the Deputy has outlined it would be probably £16 million in 1979, but that is not the reality of the position. The scheme was begun in the lifetime of the last Government and has been continued and improved upon by the present Government. I think the Deputy would agree that 32 per cent increase over last year is not bad at all. It does not represent the ultimate but it shows a genuine concern. This figure has been bandied about quite a lot but there are quite a number of other areas of aid that could be added to that figure of £9.6 million.
Does the Minister of State accept that——
Deputy Quinn.
Would you, Sir, be prepared to give an order of the House that Deputy Quinn remove his beard?
Or that Deputy Horgan grows his hair?
Is the Minister for State aware that the Minister made a commitment in 1975 for specific increases towards a specific target irrespective of budgetary or balance of payments problems? Would the Minister of State now say definitely that the whole concept of an aid target has now been abandoned and it is just a question of shoving in the way of the developing countries as much as can be found in the kitty, that the target of 0.35 per cent has now been abandoned?
It has not been abandoned. The answer to that question is no. The answer to the question about a specific commitment by the Minister when he was Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs is that he did not give any such specific commitment. He expressed a hope and he was entitled to express that hope in Opposition. He expressed that hope when the present Opposition were in Government and it was not realised then.
Question Time has ended.
I should like to raise the subject matter of this question on the adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy. The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.