The Government has broken "a promise to the world's poor" by failing to reach a United Nations overseas aid target by 2007, the former minister of state for foreign affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, has said.
Minister of State Mr Conor Lenihan was also "foolish" in the way he approached negotiations on the aid budget, Ms O'Donnell said.
While she expressed "disappointment" at the fact that the targets would not be met by 2007, the Progressive Democrat TD added: "On the other hand, I am gratified that we have a plan for the next three years."
Ms O'Donnell was in charge of the overseas aid budget between 1997 and 2002 and threatened to quit in 1999 in the face of threatened cutbacks.
Publishing the 2005 Estimates last week, the Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen, said overseas aid funding would rise by €60 million this year to over €500 million, and by €65 million in 2006 and 2007.
Deputy O'Donnell was closely involved with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in 2000 when he told the United Nations that the State would contribute 0.7 per cent of Gross National Product to Overseas Development Aid by 2007. The Government now hopes to reach 0.5 per cent by 2007.
"I was part of that process. We committed in the full view of the international community. It was a high goal to set. We knew that it would be difficult," she said.
Though the aid budget had "quadrupled" since 1997, she said she "really regretted" that the Government had not been able to honour promises made.
"Many people will be disappointed that, notwithstanding that we have secured a very solid increase for three years, the fact is that the promise had been made to the international community and to the poor," she said.
However, she conceded that the aid budget had to compete "with other priorities", particularly the need to improve services for the disabled.
"The disability legislation obligations have to be front-loaded. Two billion of the €11 billion spent on health goes on disability. There is an extra €205 million for the 1,000 people needed there," she said.
The current Minister of State in charge of ODA, Fianna Fáil's Mr Conor Lenihan, had "almost abandoned the target before he had gone into battle on the Estimates", she said.
"It was foolish to cave in before he fought the battle. There is very broad political support for overseas aid. It is something that unites all parties," she told The Irish Times last night.
Mr Lenihan's predecessor, Mr Tom Kitt had "never abandoned the target", even though he had been in charge during 2002 and 2003 when the budget "stalled".
However, the State was still the seventh largest per capita donor in the world, ahead of countries like the US, the United Kingdom, Canada and Finland.
She rejected Mr Lenihan's complaints about aid agencies using some money for advocacy, saying that it was necessary "to make the case for ODA".
"It is really important to shore up the population's support for the aid programme. Ireland is increasingly secularised. Properly sold to the people, ODA could be the new secular religion, particularly for young people.
"Ireland doesn't do wars. This is what we do. We have a small defence budget. We are recognised for our peacekeepers. Our aid programme is much admired," Ms O'Donnell said.