Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

Over the past decade Ireland's spending on Official Development Aid, ODA, has witnessed extraordinary growth. The figures speak for themselves. In 2000 our total contribution to ODA was €250 million - by 2008 this had grown to €918 million. At the start of the decade we contributed 0.3% of our GNP to ODA - last year we contributed 0.58%. By any measure this is an extraordinary success and one that we should be all justifiably proud of.

This is only half the story, however. The quality of the Irish Aid development programme is internationally renowned and recognised as being one of the best and most effective donor programmes - firmly focused on the reduction of poverty and hunger and on the least developed countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The programme has been validated, once again, as recently as earlier this month in the OECD Development Assistance Committee peer review - the pre-eminent international body in benchmarking donors against aid quality. The report highlights that "Ireland is a champion in making aid more effective" and that "Irish Aid is a strong cutting edge development programme". These are the views of an independent, objective and critical international aid organisation from which we can draw pride. I am aware that there have been calls to put the 0.7% target of GNP on ODA on a legislative basis. I do not believe that the time is appropriate for such a course of action. The Government remain convinced that the best way to safeguard the gains made to Ireland's aid programme is to restore public finances and establish a solid platform for renewed growth in the future.

For the record, total ODA for 2009 will be €696 million. Based on current estimates, this represents 0.48% of estimated GNP, which should mean that Ireland will retain its position as the world's sixth largest donor on a per capita basis. Our aid programme remains one of the best in the world. We retain our core values of supporting the world's poorest in a way that builds capacity and addresses the fundamental causes of poverty. Our growth trajectory will recommence as soon as our economic circumstances permit.

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