Aid Increases During Austerity
Kelly recalled Fianna Fáil’s stated policy of increasing development aid even during financial constraint; Calleary said aid should rise but had to be cut temporarily given the country’s economic difficulties.
Is the Minister of State aware and does he accept that when Deputy O'Kennedy was Fianna Fáil spokesman on Foreign Affairs the constant and permanent plank of party policy in regard to development aid was that the proportion of this country's contribution to it should increase every year even — and this was the centre of his policy — in times of financial stringency. Is the Minister of State aware that it used to be the central idea in Fianna Fáil thinking on development aid that even in times of budgetary constraints whatever else should come or go development aid must keep on increasing?
Comment on this
The Deputy is as well aware as I am of this country's financial problems. Every sector of Government has been affected. While I sympathise and would go along with the view that development aid should be increased, the hard reality is that development aid has to suffer pro tem until economic circumstances permit. We all have to suffer.
