Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 141: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on the commitment in the Programme for Government to establish a civilian corps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30417/12]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The Government's aid programme, administered from within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade by Irish Aid, is sharply focused on the reduction and eventual eradication of global poverty and hunger in some of the poorest countries and communities in the world. It is strongly concentrated in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Ireland has a strong international reputation for the high quality of our development programme which has benefited from the contribution of generations of Irish development workers including volunteers, professionals and missionaries who worked to improve the lives of the world's poorest people. The Government's aid programme is currently funding the work of about 1,300 development workers, volunteers and missionaries in developing countries. In addition, Ireland's Rapid Response Corps, established by Irish Aid, enables those with specific skills to deploy swiftly in humanitarian crises.

The Programme for Government sets out the Government's commitment to review the 2006 White Paper on Overseas Development Aid and to establish a civilian volunteer corps. As part of the White Paper review, public consultations have been held in Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Sligo and 160 written submissions have been received. A number of these submissions have emphasised the importance of volunteer placements which focus on sharing specific skills that met the needs of host communities. In line with the commitment in the Programme for Government, detailed discussions are now underway with key partners in the NGO sector and relevant UN agencies with a view to developing enhanced proposals to support international volunteering.