Results 1,741-1,760 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: ——before 2015. That is in line with the UN commitment and requirement posited by——

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: It is important to understand the basis of the decision made in Brussels and why it is so welcome.

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: Europe has taken the lead. In addition, within the European Council of Development Ministers and the Council of Foreign Ministers, Ireland has taken a major lead in this regard. Along with many other small donor countries, Ireland prompted the move to have a clear European target. The 2010 date referred to by Deputy Allen is, in fact, the interim target date. The 15 old EU member states —...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: It is not worse than the Deputy thought. Ireland is among a small number of those 15 countries which are either on that figure or well on the way to achieving it. Our overseas development aid programme has tripled in size since we got into Government in 1997. Ireland is the ninth largest donor in the world, with 50% of that expenditure going to the poorest countries on Earth. That is a great...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I wish to clarify the picture and be totally open with the House in terms of the figures involved.

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I am not doing any disservice to that union but I think the situation is clear. There are 123 staff to be moved to Limerick. Some 114 people have applied in the first round to be part of that move. Therefore, we have received 114 applications to go to Limerick. Some 35 of those are from within the Department of Foreign Affairs and 19 of those 35 are from the development co-operation division...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The Government remains strongly committed to achieving the UN target of 0.7% of GNP for expenditure on official development assistance. The issues of how best to meet the target and in what timeframe is under ongoing review. Ireland and the other EU member states agreed last week to reach an interim target of 0.51% by 2010 and to reach the 0.7% target by 2015. I have stated publicly that I...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I welcome the Deputy's question. There is no element of subterfuge in the information pack. I indicated in an up-front and honest manner, within a month of being appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development, that the Government could not achieve its target of spending 0.7% of GDP on overseas development aid by 2007.

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I did not consider it necessary to mention the target in the information booklet because I am involved in the final stages of a complex set of discussions with the Minister for Finance and others. The discussions, which relate to the determining of a new realistic and achievable timeframe within which the 0.7% target can be met, should be finished within the next month. As I said in response...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I appreciate the Deputy's clarification. That Ireland's target date for the achievement of the 0.7% goal is under discussion has been mentioned at every meeting that has been held as part of the White Paper consultation process. The re-evaluation of the 0.7% target was not mentioned in the information booklet, but it will be mentioned in the next booklet, which will be produced in January...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: It is fantastic for me, as Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development, to remind the House that Ireland has bucked that trend. The Irish aid programme has been going in the opposite direction.

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: It has increased threefold since 1997. Ireland has led the way in development assistance, in many ways, over recent years. There has been a decline in the level of EU funding to sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest part of the world, in the past 20 years. The exact opposite has been the case in respect of the Irish programme, which is something we can take pride in on a cross-party basis....

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 33 and 78 together. I refer the Deputies to my answer to Question No. 1.

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: If the Deputy followed my progress since I took up office, he will see that I have been very clear on this matter. We must set a realistic and achievable timeframe on this occasion. We must plan properly how to achieve this target and an achievable timeframe must be set. I agree with the Deputy that it would be dangerous to set an earlier target date that might not be achievable. This would...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The Deputy may be misquoting the Taoiseach's response to Bob Geldof's statement on the African commission. He is correct that there is a significant link between trade, debt and aid. One cannot isolate one to the detriment of the others. It is hoped this year not just to get the volume of increases required to meet the extraordinary figure the Deputy mentioned by 2015 but also to make...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I thank the Deputy for attending the public consultation process in the Helix. He was the only Deputy from the Dublin area to do so, for which I thank him. We are currently on the figure of 0.41% of GNP, which is a higher figure than he perhaps thought.

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: The current figure is 0.41%. However, the figures will be subject to revision when we see the full end of year outturn, but this is the figure which is available at the moment. On the question of the 2015 date, the UN said that developed countries like Ireland should achieve the 0.7% figure by 2015. The EU has committed to that figure. I hope that commitment will be reaffirmed by the...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I hope they will reaffirm the commitment made at the development ministers council. This would be a positive signal as we push into the remainder of the year which will involve the millennium development summit. Deputy Michael D. Higgins referred earlier to the important issue of trade matters. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, the Minister of State at that...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: I do not wish to misrepresent the comments of people at the meeting and my comments will be subjective. However, the discussions have been involved. Deputy Ó Snodaigh attended the public meeting at the Helix and he may enlighten the Deputy further on it. He may be more independent because he is not a Government Member. The 0.7% issue has been raised and it is clear it is passionately held...

Overseas Development Aid. (2 Jun 2005)

Conor Lenihan: Our programme has resulted in enormous successes, which I hope to share with Members in the next few months in a supplementary package similar to that described by Deputy Michael Higgins. It will explain what is being achieved through the programme. It is important that this knowledge should be shared with the public.