Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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26. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way he plans to bring Ireland closer to the 0.7% commitment to overseas development aid, especially in view of the current and further discussion/decision on the post-Millennium Development Goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44976/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is very actively engaged at the United Nations in the negotiations for a new set of Sustainable Development Goals which will steer the development agenda beyond the year 2015. These goals will build on the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. We are determined that they will include a clear commitment to the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2030.

The Government’s policy on International Development, “One World, One Future”, provides the framework for our engagement on development at UN level. It reaffirms our commitment to achieving the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) for Official Development Assistance (ODA), when economic circumstances permit.

In the context of the very difficult economic circumstances facing the country, the Government has successfully managed to stabilise allocations to Ireland’s aid programme. For Budget 2015, we were again determined to protect the aid programme, and we have provided a total allocation of just over €600 million for next year. This clearly demonstrates our commitment to the aid programme and represents a very significant and generous contribution on behalf of the people of Ireland to assist those less fortunate than ourselves. I will set out the case for building further on this commitment over the coming year.

Our priority now is to ensure we continue to focus this significant level of public funding on tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice, strengthening our key partner countries ability to deliver essential services to their citizens, and delivering real and sustainable improvements to the lives of some of the world’s poorest people and communities.