Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will give a general introduction first and then go through the different sectors - A, B, C, D and E - as the Chairman has asked. I will then ask the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to deal with Vote 27, which is concerned with the overseas aid development and diaspora budgets, which is the bigger spending area of our Department. I am very pleased to be here this afternoon to present to the select committee the Revised Estimates from my Department for 2018. I would also like to wish everybody a very happy International Women's Day. I will focus on Vote 28, the Vote of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, will address the committee afterwards on Vote 27 on international co-operation.

On Vote 27, the Government is strongly committed to Ireland's overseas aid development co-operation programme and to its place at the heart of our foreign policy. The current programme for Government sets out our ambition to chart a clear pathway towards the UN target of providing 0.7% of GNI in ODA. I will be bringing proposals in this respect to Government in the near future.