Overseas aid hit by the cruellest cuts of all

THE cruellest cuts of all have been to the overseas development assistance budget.

If the Taoiseach and finance minister take the advice of An Bord Snip Nua and implement further cuts they will be severing a lifeline, literally, to the world’s poor.

In 2000, this country made a solemn and binding commitment to achieve the UN target of spending 0.7% of GNP on overseas assistance. During the boom years, even though we never achieved this target, we had on overseas aid programme we could be proud of.