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]
Vol. 526 No. 6
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]
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.