Overseas AidAid agencies have accused the Government of breaking commitments on overseas aid yet again, with the Budget figures showing that targets set during last month's Estimates will not be met.

There was widespread criticism last month after the Government revealed that it would not be able to meet an earlier commitment to increase overseas aid spending to United Nations target levels of 0.7 per cent of GNP by 2007.

However, the Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen, said during the Estimates that spending would increase from the present level of about 0.4 per cent of GNP to 0.5 per cent in three years' time.

Now the Government's own figures for economic growth, released yesterday as part of the Budget, show that even this target will not be met, according to the agencies. Instead, aid spending is now projected to rise to 0.43 per cent by 2007.

Christian Aid policy officer Mr Oisín Coghlan said that it had taken the Government four years to break its promise to reach the UN aid target of 0.7 per cent by 2007.

"It's only taken them two weeks to break their new promise to reach a reduced level of 0.5 per cent of GNP," he commented. "To paraphrase Wilde, to break one promise is unfortunate, to break two seems like carelessness."

Mr Coghlan said that aid would now "creep up" by about 1 cent a year for every €100 of national income. "Either the Government was trying to pull the wool over people's eyes at the time of the Estimates, or in breaking a solemn commitment they didn't even take care to check that their new figures added up," he said.

He called on the Government to say when it now planned to meet the UN target.

Mr Hans Zomer, of Dóchas, which represents 34 development organisations, described yesterday's figures as "a shameful breach of faith with the world's poorest people".

The actual amount spent on aid is increasing - from €475 million to €535 million next year. Spending in 2006 and 2007 has been set at €600 million and €665 million, respectively.