Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Back in 2000 we contributed approximately €220 million and we have made dramatic progress since then. Of course our GNP grew dramatically over the same period and the linkage of the amount of aid allocated with GNP was a significant factor in that and agreements we made in that regard. Now that the GNP has reduced very significantly, people are very reluctant to factor in that decline in GNP to any reduction in aid at all. They seem to be suggesting that we ignore that aspect of it and just take the totality of the figure without any connection to the reduction in GNP.

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