Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his comments and presentation. It is not the first time the Minister of State has addressed this House on the issues of Ireland's aid budget and international responsibilities. He brings great determination, flair and energy to his portfolio and I congratulate him on his efforts to date.

The Minister of State has correctly asserted that Irish overseas aid is not a party political issue. We must ensure that Ireland's responsibilities to the third world and the impoverished remain at the top of our political agenda. We have not seen politics at its best in the past week and we will not replay those old points. It is important to recognise that this White Paper and debate represent politics at its best. They show how the political leaders of this country can ensure that resources are put to their best use as we fulfil our international obligations.

Overseas aid is not simply a political issue, it is a moral issue. Ireland and the EU have a responsibility to see that we do more than merely what may be termed "our bit", but become world leaders in international aid.

Aside from the party politics of the debate, the public has a huge interest in this topic. Ten or 15 years ago the public did not tune into environmental issues, it took some time. It is only now that the public views the state of the world's environment as it should. Overseas aid and the debate around trade and aid are now subjects of great political interest to much of the electorate. This is a good thing because it challenges us and demands we respond in the fashion expected by the Irish people.

The Taoiseach committed, some time ago, to reach the UN aid target of 0.7% of Gross Domestic Product. Unfortunately this was not met, but a new target is in place and it is imperative that we meet our new deadline date. We cannot allow the poorest of the poor to be disappointed on a second occasion. I acknowledge that the Irish record on overseas aid spending is very good by world standards, however it has not reached the level we would have sought to be at by this stage. Let us ensure that the new target date is not avoided.

If we are serious in seeking to meet the new target then this commitment should be put in legislation. This point has been made previously by my colleagues in the Fine Gael party and I am sure the Minister of State has heard it often. Examples of this exist already in a number of areas of Government policy. The legislation underpinning the National Pension Reserve Fund saw a political decision taken to have a pension reserve set up for the future. The percentage of our overall budget to be contributed to the National Pension Reserve Fund was enshrined in law. This does not require an annual Dáil review because the amount is set in legislation. Something similar could be done regarding our overseas aid target of €1.5 billion of GDP. This would remove party politics from the equation and would be a firm indication of a political promise becoming a reality.

Bringing forward an overseas aid development Bill and specifying the 0.7% of GDP to be allocated would, finally, copperfasten our commitment to our international obligations. The Irish people would welcome this because they have a great sense of responsibility for the less well-off around the world. This is evident in the response to every international disaster, most recently the tsunami crisis. We are excellent at responding to a crisis with aid, now we need a structured overseas aid plan. Nothing could be more secure in underpinning our commitment than legislation. I ask the Minister of State to give this some consideration.

The White Paper must be welcomed because it will be a benchmark indicating where we are going on this issue. Hopefully it may serve the same function for some of our European neighbours and countries such as the United States where, if one considers the core figures, the same level of international commitment does not exist. The sooner we enact these commitments the easier it will be to put moral and political pressure on our European colleagues and other countries around the world to match, and perhaps surpass, our commitments.

The White Paper refers to newly designated countries and the fact that Malawi will be the first such country. I welcome this because I have a particular personal interest in Malawi. In 1993 I visited Malawi as an Oireachtas representative acting as a supervisor of the referendum. For the first time in 20 or 25 years the people of Malawi were allowed to vote to determine their political direction. The dictator, Dr. Kamuzu Banda, had held office for some time and allowed the referendum on whether the one-party dictatorship should continue after much political pressure. The people of Malawi voted in favour of a multi-party, democratic system of government and there was great hope that a new future would be carved for the country. A new administration was put in place and the reign of Dr. Banda came to an end.

Unfortunately, for many reasons the country did not flourish politically, socially or economically as we had expected. The Malawi of 2006 is not much better off than the Malawi of 1993. I hope that with more Irish aid and a stronger international focus on the country we will be able to offer greater assistance to Malawi.

There are dozens of countries and hundreds of regions we could mention and focus on. Unfortunately this is not possible because of the size of Ireland and its budget. No matter what we do and no matter how high a percentage of our GDP is devoted to overseas aid we will not solve all of the world's problems. In that regard, it is appropriate and sensible that the White Paper, even when it moves beyond aspiration and leads to action, does not proclaim we will solve all the issues facing the Third World today. By targeting our resources and ensuring what we do is done well and effectively, we can begin to make a difference.

The Minister of State mentioned political responsibility and I note his suggestion on the new interdepartmental committee on development aid, to be chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This committee will result in a new focus on an issue to which the public is finally tuning in. An Oireachtas committee on development aid could be a powerful tool. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, as currently constituted, does a lot of work but, as with all the other Oireachtas committees, it is under-resourced and under-staffed, as the Minister of State will know from having served on committees. If the new committee is to work well, it will certainly need more resources. At best, most of the Oireachtas committees are in a position to meet only once every fortnight or three weeks because of problems such as a lack of accommodation and recording facilities. We need to sort out these issues. I look forward to the new committee playing a major role.

I support the initiative the Minister of State is to launch towards the end of the year, the scheme to build strong links between the schools. If the school-going population of this country assumes an ever-more-active role regarding development aid and becomes politicised in respect of it, it will exert on us political and moral pressure to ensure we honour our commitments. Bringing the schools on board will be very effective.

The concept of financial accountability may not weigh well against that of looking after the poorest of the poor, but it is very important that the euros contributed be spent well. The Comptroller and Auditor General has made some recommendations and expressed some concerns in this regard and we must reflect seriously on them because we are responsible not only for ensuring the budget is maximised but also that the allocation is used to the maximum benefit and spent where needed. We can reflect on what the Comptroller and Auditor General is saying on some other occasion. He has, in his usual non-partisan and non-political fashion, raised serious concerns that must be taken on board.