Seán Barrett
Ceist:63 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will reconsider his decision not to have a separate NGO budget line as set out in his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 181 of 26 January 2000. [27371/00]
Written Answers. - Overseas Development Aid.
Bernard Allen
Ceist:106 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the increase in Ireland's overseas development aid budget for 2001. [27563/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 106 together.
Let me take the second question first. Official development assistance, or ODA, the sum of all payments, credits and transfers by the Government for the purpose of aid to developing countries, is expected to amount to £208 million in 2000. According to estimates of GNP, this is likely to equal 0.31% of GNP.
In line with the Government's decision in September, which was announced by the Taoiseach at the UN Millennium Summit in New York, and under which Ireland will reach 0.7% of GNP by 2007, the Government has agreed a significant increase in the aid provision for 2001.
The core of ODA is Vote 39, the vote for international co-operation, which is administered by my Department. In 2000, that vote amounted to £136.4 million. In 2001, the vote will increase to £188.5 million, an increase of £52 million. Based on that increase, ODA is likely to reach £260 million, equal on current economic estimates to 0.35% of GNP, the highest rate of increase in our aid programme.
The Government is further committed to reaching 0.45% of GNP for ODA in 2002, an interim target established when the Government took office three years ago. The envisaged allocation for Vote 39, designed to reach that target, is £293 million, leading to an ODA level of £365 million. Thus, between this year and 2002, a total increase in Vote 39 of £157 million is planned.
Turning now to the question of funding for NGOs, I reiterate what I said in the earlier reply referred to by the Deputy, namely, that Ireland Aid has an important and enduring partnership with Irish NGOs which translates into financial support across a range of interventions. Support is channelled through NGOs for the purpose of emergency humanitarian assistance in response to natural and man-made emergencies. We also assist NGOs in their work in relation to post-emergency rehabilitation and in the promotion of human rights and democratisation. We assist NGO projects with co-financing and we provide direct support by way of block grants to the major Irish NGOs, Concern, Trócaire, Goal, Christian Aid and Self-Help for Development. In 1999, assistance of £24.6 million was provided from the programme to NGOs, equal to 13.6% of total ODA for the year.
Implicit in the idea of a budget line is the desire of NGOs for predictability in the level of support given to them from the Irish aid programme. Following a review of such support, plans are being developed for a multi-annual support mechanism which will deliver greater and more sustained support in the future. A decision on whether a specific budget line or Vote subhead is required to underpin this arrangement will be looked at in the context of the review of the programme ordered by the Government at the same time as the decision on increased allocations was taken.
Question No. 64 taken with Question No. 62.