Overseas aid budget grows fast

Ireland has one of the fastest growing overseas aid programmes among Western countries, according to an OECD report.

Only Spain and Austria increased their aid budget at a faster rate, according to the latest annual report from the OECD's Development Aid Committee.

Irish aid is more focused on the poorest countries and is less influenced by trade or political considerations. For example, four out of every five euro spent by the Government on aid goes to sub-Saharan Africa. This is twice the proportion of funds devoted by Sweden to the same region, and four times that allocated by the US. In addition, Ireland is the only OECD member which can boast that none of its aid is "tied".

In contrast, 15 per cent of German aid is tied, and 82 per cent of aid from Greece.

Irish aid grew by 20 per cent in 2001, to reach 0.33 per cent of gross national income, according to the report.

Since the report was compiled, the budget has grown further to 0.41 per cent. However, the Government last year rowed back on earlier pledges to reach an interim target of 0.45 per cent by the end of last year. It still says a pledge of meeting a UN target of 0.7 per cent by the year 2007 will be honoured. The biggest recipients of Irish aid are Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.