Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Smith asked about overseas development aid. We have been endeavouring to stabilise the level of overseas development assistance. The Government has been successful in maintaining that assistance despite the difficult economic circumstances. The level of assistance under the previous Government, as Deputy Smith will know, reached the highest level of funding at 0.5% of GDP. Previous taoisigh had given the commitment that we would reach 0.7%, and this is the same commitment from this Government. The level of funding had reduced by approximately 30%, but this Government has pretty much stabilised it to slightly under 0.5%. It is the intention to seek to reach our targets at the earliest opportunity. These are matters to be decided by the Cabinet in the context of the budget. The other EU member states have been very complimentary during our Presidency that despite the difficult circumstances, the effort was made to maintain that high level of overseas development aid for those who are much less well off than ourselves.

Deputies Brendan Smith and Eric Byrne referred to the fraud perpetrated in Uganda involving €4 million of Irish assistance and similar amounts from other countries, including Denmark and Norway. The fraud was discovered by the auditor general whose office had received a substantial contribution from Irish Aid. This ensured the office had the resources and expertise to conduct the investigation without fear or favour, including an investigation of the prime minister's office. That investigation is ongoing. The prime mover in the fraud has been convicted and is now serving a prison sentence of five years. A number of other people will be coming before the courts presently. I have every intention of inviting the Ugandan auditor general to Ireland at a suitable time. He is a witness to what can be done by good governance and practice. We are determined that no funding will be given through Ugandan government channels in the future until such time as the entire investigation and prosecution is completed. The level of funding currently going to Uganda is approximately half what it was previously and it is not being disbursed by the Ugandan Government. Education and health projects in the north of Uganda - in Karramoja - are being funded because it is a poor area. No Ugandan Government agency is involved in the delivery of that aid.

Deputy Crowe raised the issue of land grabbing. This is a serious issue in many parts of Africa where ownership of large amounts of land is being transferred in one form or another to people outside the country. The traditional mechanism of landholding is quite different from systems in the developed world. It is a collective system and, as such, there is no individual landowner. Nevertheless, ranches and large tracts of land have been leased long-term for bio-fuel activity in many cases. The European Union decided that 10% of transport fuel should be bio-fuel.