Mr. Tony Cotter:

In so far as our discretionary and direct spends are concerned, against a difficult economic background but with the support of politicians across the board as well as public support, the budget for Irish Aid has been maintained at a high level, having regard to the extent of the economic downturn in the country. This is something that we acknowledge and it could not have happened without public or political support. Reference was made to the percentage of our spend. We are one of the top ten donors in the world per head of population. As a country, comparatively speaking, we have a high per head of population spend.