Dáil debates

Thursday, 2 November 2006

White Paper on Irish Aid: Statements

 

2:00 pm

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

On behalf of my party, I support the publication of a White Paper on development aid. However, I am also my party's Dáil spokesperson on enterprise, trade and employment and a centrally important message should be sent to the Minister of State and the Government. Ireland cannot give with one hand while taking away with the other. This is an accurate description of Irish policy regarding trade, particularly with African and other less developed countries. Effectively, Ireland takes the wealth from such countries by exploiting its better trade conditions arising from its membership of the European Union, while simultaneously trying to assist the development of such countries with its aid funding.

It is scandalous that on the one hand, Ireland has an aid policy that seeks to develop such countries, while on the other its trade policy only considers its own short-term self-interests. The continued use of that self-interest in the promotion of practices such as export subsidies for agricultural products, which do huge damage to the same agricultural economies that we try to develop, cannot be justified. If the issue of development is to be taken seriously, it will not simply be a matter of providing 0.7% of Ireland's GDP in aid. It will also concern amending our trade policies to have a proper balance in this respect.

I look forward to a future Government that will consider innovative ways to combine these two briefs, which might involve the establishment of a single ministry. Instead of having a Minister with responsibility for trade and development who might take one line while the Minister responsible for aid takes another, both roles could be combined into one to ensure aid and development, rather than trade and self-interest set the national agenda.

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