Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 14: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his submission to the comprehensive spending review of his Department in relation to overseas development; if he intends to meet the commitment to attain the UN goal of spending, by 2015 at the latest, of 0.7% of GNI on official development assistance; if he will progress towards that target in budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33630/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland's overseas development programme, managed by my Department, has an enviable international reputation and is rightly recognised as one of the best in the world. The programme's primary objective is the fight against extreme poverty and hunger. It is concentrated in some of the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa, has a rigorous focus on achieving results and provides strong international leadership in making aid more effective. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)recentlyundertook amid-term review of our aid programme, and in its review report published last month, it found that Ireland is one of the best performing members in relation to aid effectiveness. In this House, Ireland's aid programme enjoys strong cross party support and consistently attracts high levels of public support. We, in this Government, are strongly committed to the programme, which is central to our foreign policy, and are proud of its achievements. The Programme for Government underlines our commitment to the UN target of spending 0.7% of GNP on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). We remain focussed on this 0.7% target and are working towards its attainment.

The Government will publish the outcome of comprehensive expenditure review in the first week of December. This review, which was initiated by the Government in order to identify expenditure savings and efficiencies across the public service, is now before the Government for consideration and will inform decision making in the annual Budget and Estimates process across public expenditure.

Decisions on the allocation for the aid programme in 2012 will be taken within the overall budgetary framework and the fiscal constraints facing the Government. The 2012 estimates process in now at an advanced stage, and I can assure you that I will continue to make the strongest possible case for funding for development cooperation. However, final budget allocations for next year will ultimately be a matter for the Minister for Finance.

I am committed to maintaining the high international reputation of our aid programme in order to ensure that we continue to deliver real and sustainable improvements to the lives of the world's poorest citizens.