Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Ireland is playing a strong role in international development, building on the efforts and contributions of individual Irish people and organisations and the effectiveness of the Government's aid programme. The Government is committed to the target of spending 0.7% of GNP on Official Development Assistance (ODA), and to seeking to achieve this by 2015. We recognise that ODA alone cannot provide sufficient resources for international development, and that developed countries need to work more effectively with developing countries on the mobilisation of domestic resources for this purpose. The reduction of poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals requires a coherent and comprehensive approach beyond aid to include the other policy areas that have an impact on people living in poverty in developing countries.

The Government is committed to improving the coherence of our development policy, across all Government Departments. I look forward to discussing our approach at an early meeting of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Development, which brings together representatives from all relevant Government Departments with the goal of promoting a coherent approach to overseas development. My officials are also in close contact with other Departments concerning issues relevant to overseas development, including taxation, trade, agriculture and global challenges, including climate change.

The focus of Ireland's aid programme is very clearly on the fight against extreme poverty and hunger, especially in the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa. It is important to ensure that our policy priorities are promoted at international level, within the EU and the United Nations, and in our dialogue with partner Governments in the developing world. I am also meeting with representatives of the Irish development Non-Governmental Organisations to discuss their work and to ensure that we co-operate to maximise the collective contribution which Ireland can make to the fight to end global poverty and hunger.

In keeping with the commitment in the Programme for Government, we are now preparing to review the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid. The review will involve wide consultation and will provide an opportunity to improve the coherence of our overall contribution to global development, through the aid programme, across Government, through our engagement with multilateral organisations and in co-operation with the non-Governmental sector.