Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Will the Taoiseach note that I welcome his commitment at the United Nations in New York to increase Government spending on development aid to tackle HIV and other communicable diseases? Will he confirm that it is the Government's intention to live up to the new commitment of ensuring the delivery of 0.7% of GNP for overseas development aid by 2012? As he knows, the earlier commitment was to have been by 2007?

As part of that new commitment, will the Taoiseach undertake to exclude from the calculation of 0.7% of GNP the money the Government devotes to debt relief? Will he note that I am aware that it is permissible to allocate money in this way and that I made the point in the House only last week that it is objectionable? Is he aware that many of the international aid organisations have highlighted that money is being allocated by governments, including the Irish Government, to pay for the administrative costs of debt relief? Does he not agree that it would be more appropriate for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund——

See this speech in context