Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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306. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for a breakdown of how the €40 million increase in Ireland’s official development assistance will be spent; and if he will set out how and when Ireland will reach the target of spending 0.7% of gross national income on such assistance. [36905/15]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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308. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the percentage amount of Irish Aid in 2016 that will be directed towards Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36955/15]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 308 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, clearly articulates the Government’s commitment to the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) for Official Development Assistance (ODA). We have consistently stated we would make progress towards the 0.7% target once economic conditions allow. As our economic recovery now gains momentum and becomes more widely established, we can begin to deliver on that commitment.

On Budget day the Government announced the first substantial increase in the aid budget in over seven years. For 2016, we have provided a total of over €640 million in ODA, an increase of €40 million, or almost 7%, on the 2015 level. We estimate that this will entail a small increase in our ODA/GNP percentage, from a projected 0.35% in 2015 to a projected 0.36% in 2016.

Detailed financial allocations will now be reviewed and planned across the aid programme to respond to current needs. It is clear that in 2016, we will need to increase our direct funding for the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and Africa through the UN system and trusted Irish and International NGOs. We will use our humanitarian and development assistance in a more coordinated way to respond to the immediate humanitarian crisis and build the resilience of endangered communities against future crisis.

Sub-Saharan Africa will remain the priority region for the aid programme. We will continue to focus on the poorest communities in Africa, particularly in our key partner countries. While some of these countries have made remarkable economic progress, they still remain amongst the world’s least developed and unequal. We estimate that approximately 80% of our aid programme is directed towards Africa, delivering real and sustainable improvements to the lives of some of the world poorest and most vulnerable people.

Our challenge now is to ensure Ireland continues to play a leading role in the comprehensive response to the unprecedented levels of humanitarian crisis, while ensuring our aid programme remains effective in addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger.