Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 383: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to continue his support by adhering to the stated promise to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid by 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39428/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland is committed to the UN target to provide 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) to Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2015. The Minister for Foreign Affairs confirmed the commitment at the recent United Nations Summit in September. The EU has committed to collectively attain the UN target by 2015, and has set an interim target of 0.51% for Ireland and other Member States in 2010. This year the Government is providing a total of €671 million for ODA. On current projections, this will amount to at least 0.52% of GNP, thereby exceeding the EU interim target. Last year, Ireland was the seventh most generous aid donor in the world in per capita terms. We are ahead of most other EU Member States in our progress towards the achievement of the international ODA target by 2015.

The economic crisis of the past two years has required very difficult decisions across all areas of public expenditure, including the allocations for ODA. The sole motivation and objective of these decisions has been the need to restore stability to the public finances, in order to create the conditions for a resumption of economic growth. Stable public finances and sustained growth in our own economy are the indispensable bases for the resumption of sustainable growth in the aid programme.

The Deputy will be fully aware of the extent of the challenge facing the Government in framing the Budget for 2011. The decision in relation to ODA, as with all budget expenditure decisions, will be taken in the light of our commitment to restoring growth to the Irish economy.

The Government's aid programme is the Irish people's aid programme. We can be justifiably proud that it continues to receive strong international recognition for its quality and effectiveness and for its particular sharp focus on the poorest countries and communities in sub-Saharan Africa. I am committed to maintaining the high quality of our aid programme, and its focus on the fight against global poverty and hunger.