Ireland to maintain development aid target

IRELAND intends to maintain the target of contributing 0.7% of gross national product for development aid by 2015, despite the economic crisis, Jan O’Sullivan, Minister of State for Trade and Development, said.

However, because the country’s GNI has decreased by 30% over the past three years the actual sum drops from €920m to €670m this year.

The Labour minister said she will be working to ensure the public agree with the decision to stick to the spending targets. “We want to ensure we bring our people with us in our own time of difficulty and that they want to spend the money in this way. NGOs are very well supported and it’s not an issue of political conflict. But it is important we engage with people so they understand what we are doing in their name,” she said.