Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The coming year will be the first year of our new three-year agreement. I have increased the commitment to the World Food Programme by 40%. Previously, it was €25 million per year and it is now €35 million per year. We all know the good impact that has in very food vulnerable areas, which I saw myself last St. Patrick's Day. I chose to go to South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya to witness what was going on there and to engage with the WFP. As part of that, I announced our commitment to increasing our contribution by 40%, to €35 million. In recent years, we have often paid the WFP funding in advance where we could. The WFP is always willing to receive the payment early. It can also form part of the budgetary discussions and the engagements I have, whereby if I can find a way to pay it by the end of the year for the following year, it frees up more financial capacity to do the types of things I would like to do in the budget to support farmers. We are forward paying €18 million this year out of the €35 million. Last year, we paid the full €25 million early and paying the €18 million early this year will still leave €17 million for next year.