Government plans to increase number of aid volunteers

The Government has announced that it wants to increase the number of Irish volunteers serving in the developing world.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said a new Irish Aid Information and Volunteering Centre will open in Dublin early next year.

It is part of the new overseas aid plan, which will see this country double its aid budget by 2012.

Mr Ahern said the centre will be a "one-stop-shop" for people interested in finding out how the money is spent or who want to develop careers as aid workers.