Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

Amendment No. 2 in the name of Fine Gael reads as follows:

In the tenth paragraph, to delete "demands re-examination of subsidies given to producers in the developed world and the effect of such subsidies on their counterparts in less developed nations;".

Tonight's motion is timely as many hundreds of thousands will gather in a few days for the Live 8 concerts in London, Edinburgh, Washington, Berlin, Paris and Rome. They will unite in a common cause to demand debt cancellation for the poorest countries and increased aid and trade with the developing world. In short, they will demand action from all governments working together. While the demand coincides with the upcoming G8 summit, the call goes out to all. It is time for countries like Ireland to realise their international obligations and begin to meet them.

We must tackle the endemic poverty, disease, illness and starvation which form the bedrock of lives which are often cut tragically short. Every day which passes sees poverty and disease thrive in many parts of a world in which 1.2 billion people live on less than a dollar a day, 28,000 children die from poverty-related causes, 8,000 people die of AIDS and 14,000 women and girls die from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. In 2002, 2 million people died of TB. Among the ways we can help to alleviate poverty and disease is through our commitment to overseas development aid.

When Ireland made the historic commitment to increase aid to UN target levels by 2007, its announcement was justifiably welcomed throughout the world. The sense of disappointment and anger which accompanied the Government's disgraceful U-turn has been well documented. It was a dark day for the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition and for Ireland as a whole. Recently, the original 15 EU member states agreed to increase aid to 0.51% of GNP by 2010 and to at least 0.7% of GNP by 2015. In fact, four member states have already met the 0.7% target while six others have promised to meet it on a date before 2015.

Where is Ireland's new commitment to aid? Having abandoned the 2007 deadline, have we also delayed the implementation of the Taoiseach's solemn promise to the UN by at least eight years? The Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development aid described the EU agreement as historic recently. He went on to say it was positive that the European Union had taken a lead on this important issue which begs the question of whether the Government has a memory problem. Ireland took the lead on the issue in 2000 but without apparent embarrassment we are happy to abandon the role and pass responsibility to the European Union. Even if the Government tries to forget that its actions are unacceptable, the people will not.

If we are serious about our aid commitments, we should be prepared to back them up with legislation. Last December, I outlined when Fine Gael tabled a motion on overseas development aid why an aid target should be set out in legislation to ensure that every future Government would meet its commitments. To set aside a fixed percentage of GNP for a specific purpose is not a new concept. The most recent example is the national pensions reserve fund, under the legislation for which a set amount of 1% of GNP is automatically diverted from the Exchequer annually. The process does not demand annual Dáil approval as the amounts are specified in legislation. Legislation to provide for the allocation of 0.7% of GNP to overseas development aid from the Exchequer each year would copperfasten Ireland's commitment to meeting its international responsibilities. The legislation should be introduced now as we cannot wait until 2015 to meet the UN aid target.

If we allow aid to increase according to current spending plans, it will be 2028 before Ireland meets the target. In the absence of a concerted effort to meet aid targets, the millennium development goals will not be reached. In his report, In Larger Freedom, the UN Secretary General emphasises our obligation to ensure the millennium development goals are achieved in the context of the deaths every year of 3 million from HIV-AIDS while countless more are lost to disease, poverty and starvation. Mr. Kofi Annan has stated clearly that while the goals can be reached by 2015, it will only happen if all involved accelerate action on aid dramatically. In contrast, Ireland has dramatically decelerated action on aid, which is a cause of great concern.

Debt cancellation is an integral aspect of the relief required by the countries of the developing world. The recent G8 proposal to cancel the debt of 18 states has been welcomed. We should not underestimate the importance of the proposal which writes off $40 billion and saves each country approximately $1.5 billion in annual repayments. We must also, however, reaffirm support for the policy of 100% debt cancellation for heavily indebted poor countries which Ireland proposed some time ago.

Ireland has a role to play in the promotion of good governance and the tackling of corruption in the developing world. Every person who donates money to the developing world from a pocket or pay packet wants to know it does the best possible work for those who need it. We should take every reasonable and possible action in co-operation with developing world governments to ensure the best, most co-ordinated and most effective use of aid is achieved.

Action on an international arms treaty is also vital as many around the world continue to live with the results of the indiscriminate use of landmines. We must ensure through action and co-operation with other countries that arms are traded according to the most stringent rules and regulations which take account of the value of human life. Progress should be made on the drafting of the important arms trade treaty.

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