Overseas aid - Government has let Irish people down

It ill-became Junior Minister Conor Lenihan, who is responsible for Development Co-operation and Human Rights, to level accusations against aid organisations on the funds they spend to advocate their causes.

Yet, he adopted such an attitude in an interview on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland after Trócaire director Justin Kilcullen justifiably criticised this year’s Estimates allocation to overseas development aid.

At the UN Millennium Summit in New York in 2000, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said: “On behalf of the Government and people of Ireland, I wish in this forum publicly to make a commitment to fully meeting the United Nations target of spending 0.7% of GNP on Official Development Assistance ... and we will reach the UN target by the end of 2007.”

The Government has shamefully reneged on a solemn promise, made in the name of the Irish people before a world forum.

The Government has allocated an extra €60 million for next year, which will bring our total to €535m, but Ireland will only reach 0.5% of GNP by 2007.

Having made the promise in the name of the Irish people, their dignity demands that it be honoured.