Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 226: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the percentage of GNP currently spent on overseas development aid; and when the target of 0.7%, continuously being promised, is to be reached. [14681/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 227: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the difference in monetary terms between the current spend on overseas development aid and the millennium development goal of achieving 0.7%. [14682/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 228: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he has taken at EU level to encourage Ireland's EU partners to deliver on their commitments to increase their overseas development aid to the target 0.7%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14683/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 to 228, inclusive, together.

Most of Ireland's expenditure on Official Development Assistance (ODA) is provided under Vote 29 and administered by Irish Aid, the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Further contributions to ODA are made by other Government Departments and through Ireland's allocation to the EU Development Co-operation Budget.

In 2008, total ODA amounted to approximately €900 million or 0.58 per cent of GNP. While the need to reduce public spending makes it unlikely that we will reach a similar percentage of GNP in 2009, I would expect that Ireland will this year retain its position as the sixth highest donor in the world as a percentage of GNP.

The Government intends to continue working towards the target of 0.7% by 2012.

The EU is on track to meet its development aid targets. In November 2005 the EU Member States, including Ireland, formally undertook to achieve the 0.7% target by 2015. (Member States which joined the EU after 2002 will strive to increase their ODA to 0.33 % of GNP by 2015.) The EU confirmed the commitment to these targets as recently as the Doha Conference for Financing on Development in December 2008. Government representatives use every opportunity to urge our EU partners to work together to meet this goal.

In 2008 the EU expenditure on ODA reached 0.4 % of GNP and total EU aid figures for the year exceeded €49 billion. The EU is the largest aid donor in the world. Within the EU, Ireland has the fifth highest ODA/GNP ratio.