Written answers

Tuesday, 2 November 2021

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Overseas Development Aid

Photo of Neale RichmondNeale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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431. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way the additional allocation of €140 million to overseas development aid will be allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52828/21]

Photo of Colm BrophyColm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The increase in the overseas development aid allocation for 2022 to which the Deputy refers will be distributed across a number of ODA-disbursing Departments including the Department of Finance, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Health, and the Department of Children, Equality, Youth, Inclusion and Disability. It also includes an increase in Ireland's contribution to the EU development instrument, NDICI.

As outlined in the Expenditure Allocations, my own Department will receive an additional €33.9 million for international co-operation in 2022 and my officials are currently examining proposals for use of this additional funding against the priorities in the Programme for Government and the A Better Worldwhite paper on international development. This increase will enable my Department to make further progress towards the Programme for Government commitment to double the share of ODA that goes toward climate action by 2030.In the light of the ongoing impact the Covid-19 pandemic, next year will see an increase in the Irish Aid contribution to global public health, including support for vaccine response, and also related challenges such as increased hunger and to enable children to return to education. Once finalised, the proposed allocations for 2022 will be reviewed by the Interdepartmental Committee on ODA in its final meeting this year.

Ireland reports to the OECD Development Assistance Committee on overall expenditure on ODA, against a set of internationally agreed statistical standards. These reports are made in the year after expenditure and form the basis for the tables in the Government's annual report on international development. The 2020 annual report will be published next month. The full 2022 expenditure will be detailed in the corresponding annual report.

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