Oireachtas committee on overseas aid: Members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs have welcomed the Government's commitment to increase overseas aid spending to United Nations target levels.
Although the committee had previously called for the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) on aid spending to be reached by 2010, members yesterday welcomed the Taoiseach's promise, announced at the UN last week, to attain the target by 2012.
PD deputy and former aid minister Liz O'Donnell described it as "a momentous step for Ireland".
"Where we had uncertainty we now have clarity regarding Ireland's position on aid," she told a committee meeting.
"This is a wonderful commitment on the values of Irish people and their solidarity with the poorest people of the world."
However, she said the Taoiseach had specified binding increases for only 2006 and 2007. Subsequent progress towards the target could be influenced by budgetary constraints, such as a slowdown in economic growth.
She said it was important the committee found "creative" ways of ensuring the Government's political commitment was delivered. "We should look at how we can help the Government copperfasten this commitment so there is no slippage."
She said it would be "absolutely reprehensible" if the target was not reached by 2012.
Overseas development aid was the most vulnerable area of the budget because the global poor were "out of sight and mind" and because of competing domestic needs.
It was "invidious" to pitch global poverty against domestic requirements and some way had to be found to take the overseas aid spending out of the annual estimates "wrangle".
Committee chairman Dr Michael Woods said even after reaching the 0.7 per cent target, the Government would still have available to it 99.3 per cent of any additional growth for spending on other projects.
He said aid spending currently stood at more than €500 million or 0.4 per cent of GNP.
Fianna Fáil senator Mary O'Rourke said the committee had an obligation to monitor the spending of aid money and to ensure that the Government did not "purloin" any of it for other uses.
Apart from Independent TD Tony Gregory, no Opposition member of the committee attended yesterday's meeting.
