Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I can. The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme and its place at the heart of Irish foreign policy. This commitment was made clear in the programme for Government and underscored last year in our new policy on international development, One World One Future. The policy sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world in which people are empowered to overcome poverty and hunger and fully realise their rights and potential. It focuses particularly on the poorest countries and communities in sub-Saharan Africa and sets out three goals: reduced hunger and stronger resilience; sustainable development and inclusive economic growth; and better governance, human rights and accountability. It provides a clear framework for the prioritisation of activities and the allocation of resources across six priority areas for action deriving from these goals.

Despite the severe economic and budgetary situation we have faced, the Government has clearly demonstrated its determination since coming into office to maintain and stabilise the budget for Irish ODA to the maximum extent. We provided overall budgets for development assistance of €657 million, €629 million and €622 million for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively. The Government has again managed to allocate almost €600 million in ODA in 2014. On current estimates, this should amount to 0.43% of GNP. Given all the circumstances, this represents a significant achievement, reflecting the commitment of the people to the fight to end extreme poverty and hunger. The Government remains committed to making further progress towards reaching the UN target for ODA of 0.7% of GNP. We will do so as soon as economic circumstances permit.

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