Mr. Brendan Gleeson:

This is part of the State's overseas development aid, ODA, contribution. We have obligations in that regard. Our association with the WFP is close and has been so for a long time. We are the Department with responsibility for food, not just for agriculture. It is important to us. We have a three-year contract or agreement with the WFP. We give it untied funds that it can use freely in the poorest regions. It reports to us afterwards on what it uses the funding for. We also fund a number of specific programmes. The current term of the agreement is that we will provide €75 million over three years. I have seen the report from the committee on the way we do this. The reality is that it is not arbitrary. We make these contributions on the basis of a plan. The planned contribution of €25 million was in 2022 but in 2021 we had savings and the WFP asked us for funding, so we made the funding available to it. When this three-year programme finishes, there will be a new programme. We will have an annual plan programmed into the Estimates but I cannot say the WFP will not come to us in 2023 or 2024 seeking the contribution of €25 million early. If we have the funding available, we might make it available to the WFP. I know it is an issue that has exercised the committee a bit.