Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Nov 1993

Vol. 436 No. 4

Written Answers. - Irish Aid to Nicaragua.

Proinsias De Rossa

Ceist:

71 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the aid that is being provided to Nicaragua; and if he will ensure that aid is not terminated or curtailed as such a step would make a difficult political situation even worse.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

Nicaragua is not one of the priority countries for Irish aid, but we have given a modest amount of aid to Nicaragua in recent years under our NGO co-financing scheme. This year a total of £26,700 is being allocated to two Nicaraguan NGOs, one for a project assisting women farmers and the other to help the disabled.

The Agency for Personal Service Overseas, which is an agency under the auspices of my Department, is currently sponsoring six development workers in Nicaragua, all of whom are working in Nicaragua for periods ranging from two to five years.

I have no plans to change our policy in relation to applications for aid from Nicaragua.

The European Union, through which we also contribute assistance, has approved 17 million ECU in aid this year and will shortly consider a proposal for a further similar sum. I am glad to note that Nicaragua has recently signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund which should help it to obtain international financing for its development.