Results 621-640 of 881 for speaker:Peter Power

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (16 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: We have repositioned our economy in recent years to take advantage of the global trading environment.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (16 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: That has brought huge benefits to our economy but it also carries huge risks. The key question is how we react and how we position ourselves. History has shown that we must learn from the lessons of the past. If we shirk difficult decisions, they will become more difficult to take and more painful for our citizens. Painful though they are now they would become infinitely more painful in...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (16 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: Nobody has done that. We have made our choices.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (16 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: We have set out our position. The reality is Fine Gael has not set out its position. That is the difference between that side of the House and this side.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (16 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The budget allocation for Vote 29, overseas aid and international development, amounts to €753,942,000. This represents a hugely important statement by the Government at a time of economic difficulty at home and abroad. Administration of the budget amounts to €35,642,000, which represents 4.6% of the budget and, by international standards, would be considered positive. Bilateral and...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (16 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: Over the years, in difficult and in good times, the Irish people have demonstrated their generosity and their commitment to the world's most vulnerable people. They have contributed as individuals and as communities with their time and their financial resources. The Government has matched this commitment and, with the budget for 2009, has underlined our clear view that the poorest and most...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (16 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: We will get to that.

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (15 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The Millennium Development Goal for hunger is to reduce by 50% the proportion of those suffering from hunger by the year 2015. Progress to date on achieving this goal has been mixed. Success has been most marked in East Asia — notably in China and Vietnam. While some progress has been evident in other regions, such progress has been insufficient. In Southern Asia almost 50% of children are...

Written Answers — Poverty Eradication: Poverty Eradication (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: NEPAD, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, is an African-owned and led initiative which is intended to eradicate poverty, achieve sustainable development in Africa, enhance Africa's potential in the global economy and accelerate the empowerment of women. It is based on the recognition that the primary responsibility for Africa's future lies not in the hands of donors or multilateral...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The time-frame for Country Strategy Papers (CSPs) generally reflects the time-frame specified in partner countries' national development plans. Five year CSPs covering the period from 2008-2012 have been approved for Ethiopia, Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa. The amounts of funding in each of these countries, subject to annual review, for the years 2008 to 2012 are as follows: €m...

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The eradication of extreme poverty and hunger is the central objective of Ireland's overseas development programme. The programme has a very high international reputation based on its poverty focus and commitment to excellence. The UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the scale of the challenge. It is appropriate that it falls so...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: In the period 2006 to 2008, Irish Aid provided multi-annual support to Dóchas, the umbrella group for Irish development NGOs, amounting to €690,000. Dóchas works to maximise the impact of development NGOs. It promotes a coherent public approach on development issues by its members and helps build public awareness of development challenges. Dóchas plays an important role in building...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: For 2008 the Government has provided a total allocation of €769 million to Irish Aid. A further estimated €130 million will be spent by other Government Departments and through Ireland's allocation to the EU Development Cooperation Budget. This will bring Ireland's total expenditure on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to some €900 million, representing 0.54% of GNP on current...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: It is estimated that Ireland's spending on Official Development Assistance (ODA) for 2008 will reach 0.54 % of GNP. During the 2008 estimates process, the Government allocated €914 million to ODA. €814 million was allocated to Vote 29 (International Cooperation) of the Department of Foreign Affairs and an estimated €100 million to other Government Departments and through Ireland's...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: In 2008, ODA expenditure will be the highest in the history of the programme, amounting to almost €900 million or some 0.54% of GNP on current estimates. Irish Aid delivers assistance to over 90 countries in the developing world. Nine have been designated Programme Countries with a commitment to long term strategic assistance: Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia and...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: Delivering a high quality aid programme as funding expands towards reaching the UN target of 0.7% of GNP on official aid poses challenges at every level of the Irish Aid programme. The scale of these challenges was recognised in the Government's 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid which proposed a major review of the management and structures of the programme, to ensure that overseas aid is...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: Irish Aid's support for humanitarian action is provided through a variety of organisations which are responding to emergency needs on the ground, including multilateral organisations such as UN agencies and the Red Cross/Red Crescent. All of our multilateral partners maintain dedicated evaluation functions. These plan and implement rigorous evaluation work programmes. The reports of these...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 54 together. The Programme for Government contains a clear commitment to the expansion of the Aid Programme. We have set a target of spending 0.7% of GNP on Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2012. For 2008 the Government has allocated approximately €900 million to ODA. The bulk of this funding — €769 million — comes under Vote 29,...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, and despite an initial period of stability after Ethiopian troops and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces defeated the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in December 2006, the situation has worsened catastrophically in the last year. There has been a pattern of fighting in the capital Mogadishu since November 2007, between...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The Government's official programme of development assistance, Irish Aid, has as its overarching objectives poverty reduction and sustainable development. Africa remains the principal geographic focus for Irish Aid, containing as it does 34 of the world's least developed countries. In this regard, seven of our nine Programme Countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa — Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho,...