OVERSEAS AID:MINISTER OF State for Overseas Development Peter Power has assured Irish NGOs and aid workers that Ireland remains on course to reach the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) on overseas aid by 2012.
However, Goal chief executive John O'Shea said the €45 million aid cutback announced was "morally indefensible".
Oxfam Ireland spokesman Colin Roche said: "The poorest should be the last to be hit by such cuts."
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said the 0.54 per cent figure projected for 2008 would be exceeded. "Even after the €45 million under-spend we will be at 0.56 per cent of GNP, so it's still ahead of the envisaged target."
Commenting on the reduction, Mr Power said: "It will be spread across the programmes to minimise the impact on any particular area."
He added: "Today, Ireland is one of the most generous donor countries in the world, being at present the sixth-largest donor on a per capita basis."
Mr O'Shea said that, "depending on where the cut is made, it could result in many thousands of lives being lost unnecessarily". He added: "It reflects an appalling attitude on the part of our Government to those who struggle for survival."
