Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I do not wish to misrepresent the comments of people at the meeting and my comments will be subjective. However, the discussions have been involved. Deputy Ó Snodaigh attended the public meeting at the Helix and he may enlighten the Deputy further on it. He may be more independent because he is not a Government Member. The 0.7% issue has been raised and it is clear it is passionately held that this target should be met by people interested in development aid. Two thirds of the audience at the meetings has been dominated by NGO representatives and Fairtrade groupings while the balance comprises ordinary citizens with a strong interest in this area. The discussions have been interesting for that reason and it has been a genuine listening exercise.

Concerns have been raised about whether the money is reaching its intended target and filtering down to the poorest of the poor. Other issues raised include respect for human rights, respect for proper governance and corruption. It is difficult to explain to people that 80% of our assistance is provided government to government in programme countries. Our programme was been well evaluated over the years both in value for money and the efficacy of spending. Thankfully, our aid programme has not been the subject of corruption involving the funds advanced to countries. The reason for that is our funding is ring-fenced and devoted to sectors such as health and education and it is tracked appropriately to ensure it is used for the development of these sectors. Our programme has produced spectacular successes. For instance, in Tanzania, over a three-year period, primary school attendance increased by up to 15%, which is extraordinary.

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