Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I have heard this presentation before. When Ireland made its international commitment on overseas development aid we had a moral yardstick. We were complimented on our willingness to achieve 0.7% even if the economic circumstances reversed. We basked in that compliment. Now we are comparing ourselves to others who have reduced their commitment. The fickleness of that is not lost on me. With €222 million already taken out, that is a cut of 25%, so there is little more that the programme can take now if it is to retain its integrity and efficacy. The Minister and the Minister of State should be able to tell us that they will hold the ground on this issue. Does the Minister agree that there was a considerable reputational enhancement through the ODA programme? It is one of the great positives for Ireland abroad. People admired us for it and the Pope paid tribute to us, as did several countries. That is in stark contrast to the reputational damage done by the banking sector. If the Minister were to interfere with the commitment in the coming year, he would sacrifice that reputation.

The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs supports holding the line at this stage and not ceding any more. It is an all-party view reflecting both sides of the House. The Minister stresses that technical expertise is being retained, but the voluntary NGO sector will lose some of its most valuable staff. That affects practically every NGO, so their intellectual memory will be damaged. I want an assurance that the Minister will hold the line against this suggestion of cuts.

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