Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 118: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way the cuts to overseas aid funding announced in budget 2010 will be implemented; the details of the projects and programmes that will be affected; the amount by which they will be cut; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13250/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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For 2010, the Government has provided an overall allocation for Official Development Assistance (ODA) of €671 million. Of this total, €536 million will be administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and a further estimated €135 million will come from other Government Departments, together with Ireland's share of the EU Development Cooperation budget.

The allocation involves a relatively small reduction of €25 million on the 2009 ODA allocation. Based on current projections Ireland's expenditure on ODA will stabilise at approximately 0.52% of GNP. This level of funding will ensure that we exceed our commitment as an EU Member State to spend 0.51% of GNP on ODA in 2010. It will also confirm that Ireland remains one of the more generous donors internationally on a per capita basis. This is a very significant achievement in the difficult budgetary situation we face. The decision to maintain our funding is also a reflection of the Government's determination, supported by the Irish people, to help those in the world who are most in need.

As the Deputy will be aware the 2010 detailed budget allocations across Vote 29 are now published in the Revised Estimates Volume. In making those detailed budget and programming decisions we are determined that Ireland will continue to deliver an internationally acclaimed aid programme, sharply focused on poverty reduction and hunger eradication - concentrated on a limited number of very poor, mainly African, countries. Most of our programmes and projects in these countries represent long term investments in their people and institutions designed to relieve poverty and to build capacity, in order to bring about real and lasting social and economic progress.

Over €190 million has been allocated to nine countries, called Programme Countries, seven in Africa and two in Asia. Our programmes are concentrated on the sectors of health, education, governance and democracy-building, community development, local government and agriculture.

The fight against global hunger remains a cornerstone of the aid programme and one on which we have led internationally. In line with one of the key recommendations of our Hunger Task Force Report I plan to spend up to 20% of the Irish Aid budget on actions to alleviate and eradicate hunger. Expenditures on tackling HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases will also remain very high at around €100 million.

Ireland's aid programme is recognised internationally as providing strong support to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Indeed we are one of the largest donors to NGOs in the world. In 2010 we will continue to support development NGOs and Missionary Organisations and will provide in excess of €100 million to their development efforts. We will also work with our NGO partners to assist them in enhancing their own development effectiveness.

A sum of €54 million has been set aside specifically for humanitarian assistance in emergencies. I have also have made available considerable additional funding for recovery and post emergency rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Finally we have maintained our 2010 multilateral allocations to our UN partners and the European Development Fund largely in line with 2009 levels.

Our ODA programme, notwithstanding the current budgetary circumstances, remains one of the largest in the world on a per capita basis. It is also one of the most effective in the world, as pointed out by the OECD in its most recent Peer Review of our aid programme. Aid volumes are important in the fight against global poverty. But equally important, or perhaps even more important, is aid quality. We will ensure that this quality is maintained at every level of the aid programme in order to maximise effectiveness and provide value for money.