Minister refuses to rule out cutbacks in overseas aid

THE prospect of cutbacks in foreign aid given to poor countries has not been ruled out by Overseas Development Minister Peter Power.

Launching Irish Aid’s annual report, he warned its budget was reflected by economic activity and right now this was “stagnant”, not only in Ireland but in many parts of the world.

Ireland spent €870 million on foreign development aid last year. Just below a quarter of this went on NGO and missionary work.

Mr Power yesterday said new initiatives meant Ireland was at the forefront of aid internationally. But he could not rule out cutbacks as departments scramble to meet budget requirements.

“Our budget is tied to GNP, so it depends on what our GNP turns out at the end of the year. I can’t predict that. It depends on prevailing economic factors. I’m not going to predict what might happen in four or five months,”

“It’s very important the Irish taxpayers, who do contribute enormously to our programmes, are aware that Ireland is at the cutting edge.

“We are at the forefront of international aid development and we are recognised as such throughout the world,” he said.

The annual report pointed to Ireland’s increased response to humanitarian emergencies, following on from previous world disasters such as the south-east Asia tsunami in 2004 and the Pakistan earthquake of 2005.

Irish Rapid Response Corps members have carried out missions in 14 countries to date and 52 people have been trained.

Engineer Fred Tottenham, 29, recently returned from working in Mozambique as part of the response group to flooding.

“It’s hard work, you’re working every hour you have, there’s no phone reception and it’s hard to stay in touch and it’s dangerous,” explained the Clare man, who is set to marry his fiance Louise McArdle.

Working as a logistics officer, Mr Tottenham helped set up tents, assess roads for transport and coordinate aid arriving in up to 20 flights a day.

Stockpiles of Irish aid have also been delivered for emergency needs in Sudan, Burkino Faso, Mali and Uganda over the past year.

The report was launched at Irish Aid’s offices on O’Connell Street, Dublin, which have seen 18,000 visitors since opening in January.

Mr Power will next month launch recommendations by a Hunger Task Force on aiding international efforts to reduce world hunger. The task force includes former minister Joe Walsh, academics and officials with NGOs, as well as Bono.