Brendan Ryan (Labour)

On a historical note, if a coalition Government of Fine Gael and the Labour Party had not introduced overseas development aid, Fianna Fáil would never have thought of it. It did not believe in it 25 years ago when introduced, it had no interest in it. Let us have no lectures, therefore, from the other side of the House about people's values. Unfortunately, there is no political gain in this issue. Perhaps there is in the slightly semi-detached political atmosphere of the university seats, but in the hard, robust realities of electoral politics one is not going to get much credit for being in favour of expanding overseas development aid. The Government knows it is not going to suffer much politically for cutting back on overseas development aid, which is the reason the adjustments of 10%, which were not cuts, were inflicted on those least able to protect themselves on the entire planet by removing €30 million from our overseas development aid budget. The Government did this because it knew there would be little fuss and that in the long term there would be no major repercussions.

This issue is not about politics but morality. Senator Minihan quoted figures that are startlingly true. The scale of inequality on the planet is enormous. The assumption behind so much of what is written about it – that of universal affluence – flies in the face of reality. It is either a collective decision on the part of the western world to ignore something or a deliberate conspiracy on the part of the mass media to avoid dealing with it because of the way the values it suggests challenge the values of large sections of the commercialised media. The reality of this world is that matters are getting worse. On every index they are getting worse.

I hope Senator Henry does not take offence at my saying that the fact that this motion on overseas aid, in respect of which I will vote in favour, did not even merit an amendment from the Government suggests it is little too innocuous, given that the Government took €30 million off this ODA budget this year alone. While I have no objection to the motion, we need to adopt a more hard-headed and thick-skinned approach to the issue of ODA because the Government's promise will not be met.

The facts are simple. By 2007 our GNP will be around €110 billion to €120 billion, which is a conservative estimate, and 0.7% of that is approximately €800 million. According to the Government's Estimates, the amount at the end of 2003 will be less than half that figure. I am supposed to believe that an extra €425 million will become available in the four year period from 2003 to 2007. That would involve an allocation of €100 million a year for four years. I am expected to believe that the Government will double the allocation in a four year period when the Minister for Finance, and most forecasters, tell us that economic growth will be down to 3% or 4% for the next two or three years.

The truth is that this commitment will not be met. However, the great thing about this is that the target year is a year after the next general election will probably be held. Unlike its predecessor, I do not think this Government will be in office for five years. The Government will be able to say that it will spend an extra €300 million the year after the election is over. In that way it will not have broken its promise by the time the election comes around. However, the target figure to be met will be a startlingly large sum.