Results 221-240 of 881 for speaker:Peter Power

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (24 Sep 2008)

Peter Power: The Department of Foreign Affairs undertakes a number of important initiatives every year to raise awareness of the global poverty reduction work of Irish Aid, on behalf of the Irish people. Over the last two years these have included: Initiative Outline Cost € Material on the aid programme for 50,000 university students, August 2008 Notepad with information on the programme and...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (30 Sep 2008)

Peter Power: I propose to take Questions Nos. 406, 408 and 412 together. Under the Government's decentralisation programme announced in 2003, 125 posts attached to the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs would decentralise to Limerick. The Division is the Headquarters of Irish Aid. Following sanction of an additional 20 posts by the Department of Finance in 2005, the...

Seanad: Hunger Task Force Report: Statements (7 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: I am pleased to have this opportunity to join Members in the Seanad for this debate on the Hunger Task Force report. It comes at a particularly difficult and turbulent time on the international scene. This House has debated long and hard, well into the night and early morning, the crisis in the international financial sector, and Members have been bombarded and lobbied in regard to...

Seanad: Hunger Task Force Report: Statements (7 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: I apologise for my brief absence, in which I missed the contributions of Senators Cummins and Ormonde. They may rest assured that I will examine their contributions in detail in due course. All the contributions to which I had the pleasure of listening were very insightful and, in some cases, thought-provoking, particularly in the case of Senator Alex White. This debate is very timely and...

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. The Government is committed to reaching the UN target of spending 0.7% of GNP on ODA by 2012. We remain on course to meet that objective. I am confident that this year Ireland will also maintain its position as the sixth most generous per capita donor in the world, which was...

Overseas Development Aid. (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The Deputy will find out almost exactly at the same time I do what the budget allocation will be for 2009. As he well knows, nobody can predict what that will be until it is published by the Minister for Finance on that particular day. It is, however, important to know that the overarching target of 0.7% is expressed as a percentage of GNP. That obviously translates, on a year by year...

Overseas Development Aid. (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The Deputy mentioned the Hunger Task Force report. That is the subject of a separate question and we shall delve into that shortly. NGOs have an enormous role as regards delivery. They deliver more than €100 million of overseas development aid on behalf of the Irish taxpayer.

Overseas Development Aid. (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: They are involved in all of our programme countries in their own right and——

Overseas Development Aid. (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: ——they are very much engaged in delivering their own programmes. As I said, they deliver an enormous percentage of the overall Irish Aid budget on the ground. Indeed they are one of the key delivery mechanisms on behalf of the taxpayer. As regards small projects, a system is in place for micro-funding, up to a limit of €20,000. The application process is relatively simple. They are...

Overseas Development Aid. (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 22, 50 and 60 together. The report of the Hunger Task Force, which was commissioned by the Government last year, was submitted on 25 September at the recent UN Millennium Summit in New York. The Hunger Task Force was established before the current global food price crisis hit the headlines and was informed by our knowledge gained on the ground, through our...

Overseas Development Aid. (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: I agree with the Deputy. Regarding the 862 million, that figure came from international multilateral agencies such as the United Nations, the World Food Programme and from a collation of experts in the area. It is their estimate that 862 million people will go hungry to bed tonight. With reference to the figure of 20%, it should be noted that a considerable proportion of Irish aid...

Overseas Development Aid. (9 Oct 2008)

Peter Power: The point is very well made. Part of the problem regarding the declining capacity of many developing countries to produce their own food is the increasing fragmentation of small holdings. That is a major problem. Allied to that are problems with establishing proof of legal tenure, including that of women who comprise, surprisingly, 80% of all farmers in Africa. This figure is borne out in...

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...