Isn’t it time we got real about the cost of overseas development aid?

AS the Government seeks to cut its own spending massively a question arises: should Irish money for overseas development aid and foreign disaster relief come from the coffers of the state or directly to charities and aid agencies from the pockets of private citizens without any involvement by the state?

It is a legitimate question to ask now that our country’s financial position is so dire. The cuts to the public funding of our health service next year, for example, are expected to amount to somewhere between €600m and €1bn as part of overall reductions (and tax increases) that could amount to as much as €5bn.

The final figure for health cuts alone is likely to be roughly equivalent to the amount of money we donate to overseas development aid each year. Why cut life-saving and life-enhancing services to our ill, elderly and vulnerable while we maintain payments to Third World countries with which we have no real connection?