Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 116: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to continue funding for a programme (details supplied). [43394/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

This year, the Government has provided a total of €671 million in official development assistance (ODA), €536 million of which is administered by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Government's aid programme. Ireland's aid programme has a clear focus on the reduction of poverty and hunger, especially in the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 20% of our total assistance is channelled through development Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), reflecting the strong role played by Ireland's NGOs and missionaries in the developing world, and the support they have consistently received from the Irish people.

The organisation referred to by the Deputy is a children's rights NGO based in the Philippines. It has received over €300,000 in support from Irish Aid since 2004. In 2007, a three-year grant of €218,319 was allocated to support a community-based programme to protect and promote the rights of vulnerable women and children. I expect that the final payment of €73,769 from this grant allocation will be made to the organisation in the near future.

Future allocations of funding to development NGOs will, of course, be dependent on the budgetary resources available for the aid programme. Information on future funding rounds under Irish Aid's civil society funding scheme will be provided on the Irish Aid website at www.irishaid.ie.