Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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542. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to set out his views on concerns expressed that the Government has reneged on its commitment to the millennium development goals; and the current position regarding same. [48450/14]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The Government is very strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme and to its place at the heart of Irish foreign policy. Our programme and our development policy are centrally based on our commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, which were adopted by world leaders at the UN in 2000 and which set out clear targets in the fight to end poverty and hunger in the world. Our commitment has been recognised internationally, and Ireland has been asked by the UN to co-facilitate the negotiations next year on the new framework for global development to succeed the MDGs after 2015. The OECD has recognised in recent weeks in the peer review of Ireland's aid programme that "Ireland continues to excel in the delivery of effective aid". Our commitment to development cooperation is clear in the Programme for Government and was further enhanced by the launch of our policy for international development - One World One Future. The policy sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world in which people are empowered to overcome poverty and hunger and to fully realise their rights and potential. One World One Futurehas a clear focus on the poorest countries and communities in sub-Saharan Africa and sets out three goals: reduced hunger and stronger resilience; sustainable development and inclusive economic growth; and better governance, human rights and accountability. It provides a clear framework for the prioritisation of activities and for the allocation of resources across six priority areas for action deriving from those goals. These areas are closely aligned with the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals.

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.