Govt accused over tsunami aid

A leading charity today accused the Government of taking aid from poverty-stricken countries to pay for its contribution to the tsunami relief fund.

Oxfam Ireland said half of the State’s €20m donation to victims in south-east Asia had been taken from the emergency humanitarian assistance budget.

“Obviously, this means there’s less money to respond to emergencies in Darfur, in Congo, in Uganda and whatever other emergencies arise throughout the year,” said spokesman Colin Roche.

He said Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern had promised that humanitarian aid for tsunami relief would not be taken from the emergency aid budget.

“It leaves a slight sour taste in the mouth that the Government are not using new money,” he said.

He added that other countries, such as Norway, Canada and Germany, had ensured that their humanitarian funding for other countries was not affected.

“We’re calling on governments right around the world to make sure their allocations are ‘new money’ and don’t affect the fight against poverty around the world,” he told RTÉ radio.

The Government’s initial allocation of €1m was increased to €10m and subsequently €20m as the scale of the disaster in south-east Asia became clear.

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said it had been made clear that the second allocation of €10m was from the emergency aid fund.

He said the money from the €28m budget had not been diverted from any other country.

“The fund’s purpose is to respond to crises as they occur. The Asian tsunami is an emergency,” he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs’ overall budget for overseas aid this year is €535m.

The Irish public donated more than €50m through public collections and sponsored events.

Trócaire, Goal, Concern and Oxfam Ireland are winding down their fundraising operations, but the Irish Red Cross is to continue its campaign.