Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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1159. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on ring-fencing a set percentage of Irish national income for overseas aid; the position of the Government to United Nations targets in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31028/15]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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1160. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to increase the overseas development aid budget in the upcoming budget; if so, the percentage increase; the strategy for reaching the 0.7% of gross national product United Nations target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31032/15]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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1162. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will fully recommit to the 0.7% target in respect of the provision of foreign aid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30432/15]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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1174. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will reaffirm Ireland's commitment to reaching the targeted 0.7% of gross national product for oversees development aid; when he envisages that this will take place; the measures his Department is taking to ensure this is achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32027/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1159, 1160, 1162 and 1174 together. I propose to take Questions 1159, 1160, 1162 and 1174 together.

The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme, which is at the heart of our foreign policy. “One World, One Future” our policy for international development, sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world, and reaffirms our commitment to the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) on Official Development Assistance (ODA). We have stated clearly that we intend to make further progress on this commitment as our economic recovery consolidates.

In July, I led the Irish delegation to the Third International Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The conference successfully concluded with the adoption of the “Addis Ababa Agenda for Action” which sets out in detail the financing needs for sustainable development for the next fifteen years. In the run up to the Addis conference Ireland was instrumental in helping broker agreement among EU Member States, recommitting to the UN 0.7% target, and to ensuring that at least 0.2% of GNP is directed to Least Developed Countries as ODA, within the timeframe of the Sustainable Development Agenda, which runs to 2030. The ‘Addis Ababa Action Agenda’ specifically welcomed the decision by the European Union to affirm its collective commitment to those targets.

The Addis agreement, together with the very successful agreement at the UN on new Sustainable Development Goals, which will be formally adopted by world leaders in New York this week, and the agreement currently being negotiated under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have the potential to transform the approach to sustainable development globally and end extreme poverty and hunger in our lifetime. We are currently at an advanced stage of the 2016 Estimates process. While final allocations for Budget 2016 are ultimately a matter for Government, I can assure the Deputy that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and I will be making the strongest possible case for an increase in the allocation to Official Development Assistance.