Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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298. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if consideration will be given to increasing overseas aid with a view to reaching 0.7% of GNI as set out in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45614/22]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to achieving the UN Official Development Assistance (ODA) target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2030, as set out in A Better World, Ireland's International Development Policy, and in the Programme for Government.

For 2022, the Government allocated €1.044 billion to ODA, a 20% increase on the 2021 allocation. This is the highest ever amount allocated to ODA by any Government. In the context of competing budgetary pressures, achieving this amount was an important statement by the Government of Ireland's solidarity with the developing world.

Final calculations with the OECD are expected to show that Ireland's Official Development Assistance for 2021 represented between 0.3% and 0.31% of GNI.

Ireland's development programme has a very strong global reputation. This reputation was confirmed by OECD in its 2020 Peer Review of Ireland's Development Assistance. The need to continue to increase the allocation to ODA in GNI percentage terms must also take account of the need to manage responsibly the large increases required, so that the quality of Ireland's programme is maintained.

The increase for 2022 is €176 million or 20.3% of overall ODA and my Department has responded through improved monitoring systems, strengthened inter-Departmental coordination on international development issues, and through continuing engagement with international partners.