Views of public to be sought on State’s overseas aid programme

The Government is to ask the public for its views on Ireland’s international aid programme and how the State spends taxpayers’ money overseas.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney said it was important the public was informed about the Irish Aid programme as “after all it is their money we are spending”.

The consultation process will involve public meetings and online input and Mr Coveney said he hoped for a “high level of public engagement”.

A White Paper, setting out the State’s future policy on international development, is expected to be published later this year after the consultation period.

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Mr Coveney was speaking in the Dáil during a debate on a review of the Irish Aid programme, carried out by the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee.

He said that part of the strength of the programme “is that it is deeply rooted in our own experiences and values.

“Hunger and under-nutrition have long been a major priority for Irish development co-operation and Ireland has gained international recognition for its work in this area”.

He said that when he visited Kenya last November “I saw how by sharing Ireland’s experience of good seed technology, good science and good farming, local potato crop yields have the potential to increase dramatically”.

‘Modernisation’

More than 100,000 people a day move from extreme poverty but despite major progress in this area “there remains a need for effective development co-operation and for modernisation in terms of our approach. Too many still live in poverty.”

Mr Coveney said countries such as Ethiopia “have to create as many new jobs each year as there are people working in Ireland”.

“Such is the demographic movement to which Ethiopia must respond in terms of the number of young people coming into the workforce.”

The Tánaiste said he was acutely aware of financial pressures at home and the competition for budgetary resources.

“However, we must not forget that Ireland’s aid programme is not just good policy because we know how aid works, but is also a reflection of our values, our belief in our common humanity and solidarity and our understanding that wealth and opportunity are not spread equally across the world”.

Mr Coveney also re-affirmed his commitment to reaching the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GDP being spent annually on international development assistance but did not give a timeline.

Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smyth, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said the committee had received 30 submissions from stakeholders during its aid review.

‘Good story’

Mr Smyth said the high quality of the programme and its strong focus on poverty reduction was emphasised time and again.

“Ireland has a good story to tell,” he said.

The Cavan-Monaghan TD said that “we must send out the clear message that aid works” and he stressed the scale of need with 140 people in need of humanitarian assistance and some 65 million - more than 10 times the population of Ireland - displaced by war and conflict.

He said more than three million children aged under five die each year from preventable and treatable diseases and more than 260 million children are not receiving an education.

Fianna Fáil TD Darragh O’Brien said “the Tánaiste has got to publish a timeline so that we know we are not saying 0.7 per cent by 2030 anymore”.

He added that “back in 2008 we had reached a height of 0.59 per cent and we are now down at about 0.3 per cent”.