Emmet Stagg
Ceist:36 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when Ireland will reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP for overseas development aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4368/99]
Written Answers. - Overseas Development Aid.
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:39 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the degree to which it is expected to improve the availability of overseas development aid to countries currently in need arising from the current years allocation in this regard and with particular reference to the need to achieve the recommended aid levels in the shortest possible time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4421/99]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:90 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has satisfied himself at the level of funding which the Government has made available by way of national aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4514/99]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:93 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the current levels of overseas development aid as set out in the 1999 budget represents an improvement in achieving the objectives of the recommended international levels of development aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4517/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 39, 90 and 93 together.
On the basis of the most up-to-date calculation available, official development assistance, ODA, in 1999 will amount to £158 million. This is the largest allocation for ODA since our aid programme began twenty-five years ago this year. Our best estimate for ODA next year, the year 2000, is that it will reach £172 million and £195 million in 2001. The figure for 1998 was £137m. Seven years ago in 1992, ODA was only £40m. In effect then from 1992 to 1999 there has been a four-fold increase in ODA. No other donor country has such a rate of increase in the period. Expressed as a percentage of GNP, the increase in the period was from 0.16 per cent to 0.31 per cent.
As the House is aware, the main factor in the increase in ODA this year and in the next two years is the Government's agreement to planned increases in Vote 39 in the period 1999 to 2001. This commitment is very valuable. Not only does it provide the single biggest set of increases in the history of Irish aid but it allows for the first time for multi-annual budgeting for long-term, sustainable development programmes in our priority countries, which are among the poorest in the world. This applies also to what we provide to deal with man-made and natural emergencies, for our voluntary contributions to UN and other multilateral aid agencies, for the Agency for Personal Service Overseas, APSO, and for our assistance through NGOs. Importantly too, these increases are in addition to the package announced some months ago for debt relief.
What has been agreed is that the aid allocation administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs will amount to £400 million in the period 1999 to 2001. Specifically, the aid subheads of Vote 39, the Vote for International Co-operation, subheads C to G inclusive, will amount to £104.374 million in 1999, with the carry-over of commitments from 1998, the actual spend in 1999 will be over £108 million. The allocation for the year 2000 will be £136.400 million and £159.200 in 2001, an increase next year of over 30 per cent and an increase of 17 per cent the following year. This will be in addition to contributions by other Departments to multilateral institutions such as the global environment facility or those under the Food Aid Convention of the World Food Pro gramme. This agreement underpins the growth of the aid programme. It allows us to continue to work to reach the interim target of 0.45 per cent of GNP during the lifetime of this Government and moves us further to the ultimate goal of the level set by the UN of 0.7 per cent of GNP.
The arrangement now in place allows for a clear focus on continuing to develop a quality programme in keeping with the proud record of Irish involvement in developing countries.